


Meden Agan

by halflightwrites



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: (if you squint), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, I Haven't Read The Trials of Apollo, M/M, Post-The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus), Quest, Trials of Apollo Rewrite, healing through friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 03:46:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 28,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16468079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halflightwrites/pseuds/halflightwrites
Summary: Nico is getting tired of having to save the world.So, when Rachel Elizabeth Dare arrives back at camp and tells them the world is ending once again—thanks to Apollo, this time—the last thing Nico wants is to be the one to stop it. Except, that's not exactly true.When Hades sends Nico, along with Rachel and Will Solace, of all people, Nico knows it's hopeless. Except, that's not true either.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Like the tag says, I haven't read ToA.  
> I really loved writing this, so I hope you enjoy reading!

Rachel Elizabeth Dare arrives back at camp in mid-September, her hair a cloud ablaze around her face, and tells them the world is ending once again.

Chiron calls an emergency meeting in the Big House and the head counselors gather in the rec room, setting up metal folding chairs around the ping-pong table as best they can. Nico snags a chair and pulls it over to the window, leaving the other counselors to grapple amongst themselves for a fraction of the table. If one good thing had come out of Nico’s three days in the infirmary, it was his newfound taste for sunlight. In the weeks since, he’d spent so much time in the sun that his tan had come back, darker than before. Nico sets his chair down and watches. 

The Stolls, last to arrive, attempt to push a barely conscious Clovis out of his chair before Chiron loudly clears his throat to stop them. They settle into the only remaining chair, Travis having to practically sit in his brother’s lap. 

Chiron sits in his wheelchair at the head of the table. Rachel stands beside him, hands gripped tightly in front of her. She’s wearing her characteristic paint-stained blue jeans and an equally stained Camp Jupiter t-shirt, several sizes too large for her skinny frame. Her hair stands out like a beacon against the purple, and the thighs of her pants are dirty. Nico wonders how she’d gotten here from California. 

Chiron clears his throat again and, once everyone quiets, gestures for Rachel to begin. She rocks back on the balls of her feet once, as if preparing to leap, and says, “The world is ending.”

Travis is the first to speak. “So you’ve said.” He sounds bored with the whole idea. 

Nico catches Will Solace shoot Travis a glare from his spot across the table from the brothers. Travis either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. 

Connor leans around his brother to add, “You saw this? Thought your Oracle powers were out of commission.” 

“They are,” Rachel agrees, lips turning down. “But I don’t need prophecy to know this. It’s not the future. I’ve seen it, it’s happening right now.” There’s a hard edge to her voice that seems to warn the Stolls not to push her. The spirit of Delphi had been silent ever since the war, and Rachel was clearly still not happy about it.

Malcolm Pace asks, “What is it this time?” He looks serious about the question, arms folded in front of him, but the question itself seems sarcastic to Nico, as if he’s willing to hear what Rachel has to say, but hasn’t decided to believe her yet. 

Rachel doesn’t seem surprised about the counselors’ lukewarm reaction to her news. After all, the world has ended for all of them before. Several times over. The only surprising thing about this is that it’s supposedly happening again so soon after the last war.

The last few weeks had been relatively peaceful for the camp. At summer’s end, the campers returning to school had left with high spirits; the camp had survived with minimal damage, they’d won the war, made peace with the Romans, and the gods were restored on Olympus. Percy had been just as excited to start school again as Annabeth, which had seemed odd, but Nico supposed after the year he’d had, Percy just wanted to return to something normal. The only dark spot that remained on their minds was Leo’s death, but even Piper and Jason, hardest hit by the loss, seemed to be smiling more freely lately.

Nico understands the tension in the room now. Things seemed to finally be going their way for once. No one wants to believe they're really falling apart again.

“The mortal world has fallen into chaos,” Rachel says, “And it only seems to be getting worse.” 

She’s quiet for a long moment. Nico thinks she’s choosing her next words very carefully, aware of her audience and the urgency of the situation. “It started with the cicadas. Sightings began a few weeks ago, all over the country and now they’re everywhere. Millions of them. And then other animals started acting weird, too. Packs of wolves started roaming outside their territories, into mortal towns and cities. Deer too, and birds. And then, this week, the mice started swarming in public. The news has been reporting hundreds of cases of illnesses from them already. They have no idea what’s causing any of it. 

“That seemed bad enough, but then the lights started.” Rachel says all of this on one breath, like her words are tripping over themselves to leave her mouth. Nico knows this is how she normally talks—even as the Oracle, her prophecies had been delivered in that same fast beat way—but now there was a layer of fear pressing her words that made them seem more urgent.

It takes Nico a moment to process all of it, and it seems the rest of the room is having the same problem. Jason is the first to recover. His unease is written on his face. “Lights?”

Rachel nods. “About a week ago, aurora sightings began.” 

Clarisse speaks then. “Okay, and? What’s so bad about some northern lights?” Beside her, Clovis has fallen asleep with his head on the table. Clarisse gives him a dirty look when he begins snoring.

“Nothing, normally. But the sightings came from all over.”

“The country?” Malcolm asks. His serious expression has turned concerned. 

Rachel folds her arms across her chest, her fingers digging into her flesh. “The world,” She clarifies. 

Those two words seem to shift the entire atmosphere of the room. Suddenly everyone is alert, on edge. Nico sits up straighter in his chair. 

Rachel meets Chiron’s eyes, his face unreadable, then delivers the final blow. “This morning, a solar flare wiped out half the country’s power.” 

“An EMP,” Nyssa supplies, her voice shaky.

Rachel takes a deep breath and finishes, “They’re predicting more.”

A heavy silence settles over the room. Rachel looks like she’s waiting for a verdict. Finally, Travis gives her one: “Okay, so, the mortals are losing it. Why should we care?” 

Clarisse says, “He’s right,” at the same time that Piper says, “Travis, are you serious?” 

Travis only gives a noncommittal shrug in response, the action disrupting his balance on Connor’s lap so that Connor has to grab the back of his shirt to keep him from sliding off onto the ground. 

Piper leans forward, clearly ready to pick a fight, but Rachel holds up a hand to stop her. Piper settles back in her chair, arms crossed and face pinched. Nico isn't sure if Piper’s anger is on behalf of Rachel or out of concern for her father.

“No, he does have a point,” Rachel says. She holds her hands palm up in front of her, as if in offering. “You all have no reason to care. And I can’t make you. The borders will protect the camp, so none of this will touch you.” Rachel meets Jason’s eyes and adds, “Camp Jupiter is also unaffected.” 

Jason nods, clearly relieved. Nico sends a silent thanks to Hades that Hazel and Reyna are safe. 

“You have no reason to care,” Rachel repeats, “But—” 

“Yes, we do,” Will cuts Rachel off, speaking for the first time. Everyone turns to look at him, but he’s looking at Rachel. “You said birds were affected. Which ones?”

The question seems kind of nonsensical to Nico, but Malcolm leans forward in his seat as if he’s interested in the answer, too. Rachel thinks for a moment before saying, “Hawks, I think. Ravens…” 

She trails off, but Will finishes, “And crows.” Rachel nods, something dawning on her face. Next to her, Chiron seems to be understanding their line of thinking, as well.

“Same thing,” Connor says, just to be annoying.

“Why do the birds matter?” Butch Walker asks.

It's silent for a long moment, until Chiron prompts, “Will?”

Will is staring at the ping-pong table. Finally, he looks up and says, “They’re symbols of Apollo.” His voice sounds strained. Nico has never seen him falter before. Every exchange between them has been sharp and caustic. Will always meant what he said, and said it so that you knew exactly how he felt. Now, he sounds uneasy. Even if Nico can’t stand Will, he doesn’t like seeing the other boy unnerved. It makes Nico feel off balance.

But Nico is catching up to the conclusion they’ve come to. It seems too absurd to be true, even if they typically deal in absurdity. But it makes sense.

Will looks around the table, then, seeming to realize the others’ confusion. “The birds, the wolves and cicadas. Deer and mice. They’re all animals sacred to Apollo,” He elaborates. “None of us have heard from him since before the war. The lights and the solar flares, it can’t be a coincidence.” 

“Zeus was angry with him. He was going to punish Apollo for fueling the Roman/Greek feud,” Jason says. 

Will shakes his head, “It wasn’t Apollo’s fault! He didn’t—”

“Will,” Lou Ellen cuts him off. There’s a hard look on her face when she turns to him. “Tell them.” 

Will glares at her. There is a silent exchange between them. After a moment, Will says, “Apollo hasn’t been answering our prayers. Our healing is weakening.” 

Chiron’s face hardens. “You should have reported this.”

“I know. I had my cabin keep it secret. I was hoping it was temporary.” Nico notices Will doesn’t apologize for this. Chiron doesn’t look happy, but he doesn’t press the issue.

Rachel rallies everyone’s attention. “So what exactly does this mean?”

Chiron seems to think about it, then admits, “I’m not sure. And until we know exactly, I’m not sure it would be wise to act on it.” 

The room’s reaction is mixed. Some campers look ready to argue, others look almost relieved. No one looks happy, and that charged tension that had formed with Rachel’s original announcement doesn’t dissipate. 

“Without the guidance of the Oracle,” Chiron winces in Rachel’s direction, “we are, unfortunately, in the dark about what is happening. We know it has something to do with your father, Will, but as far as what it is and what we can do to stop it, I’m afraid I can’t say.” 

Will looks ready to argue again, but Chiron holds up a placating hand. “We will check on those we know in the mortal world, but for now, it is dinner time. We will discuss this further tomorrow.”

And with that, the meeting is over.

 

“What do you think?” Jason asks, when Nico takes a seat across from him at the Zeus table. “Do you think it’s real?” 

Since the Romans had left, meal times had become less strict, but most of the campers still sat at their respective cabin’s tables, either out of habit or lingering fear of getting in trouble. But Nico sat with Jason. The other boy was slowly growing on him, and the alternative was sitting alone.

“I think it’s a joke,” Nico answers, pulling the skin off of his chicken and discarding it on the edge of his plate. 

Jason frowns at him. “You think Rachel’s lying?”

Nico rolls his eyes. He looks over to the Apollo table, where Will and his siblings are arguing. “No, I think it’s a joke that we have to do this again. I’m tired of this saving the world bullshit.” 

“Yeah,” Jason says, and Nico can hear the bitterness in his voice.

Nico picks at his food. Across the pavillion, Chiron and Rachel are deep in conversation, heads lowered and faces dark, their plates untouched in front of them. The rest of the campers are in a similar state. Throughout dinner, conversations start and then falter off soon after, as if everyone wants to know what’s going on, but no one really wants to talk about it. Nico picks up bits and pieces; the counselors who had attended the meeting earlier providing the barest of details to their cabins, younger campers excitedly asking questions, and older ones, those who had lived through both wars, answering as best they can.

These people had seen so much loss, even in just the few years that Nico had known them. He can’t imagine how they could go through it again, how they would go on after. 

There’s a sinking feeling growing in him that wonders if this is all they’ll ever have, war after war with no time to breath. Is this all they would ever be, pawns in some shitty game none of them had ever asked to be a part of? It terrifies him that he knows, in the deepest parts of his bones, that he is nothing without it, though. This last month of reprieve had been nice, but Nico had gone to sleep each night feeling increasingly hopeless and lost. Without something to work towards, something to fight, he doesn’t know what to do. The wars had given him a clear purpose, and without them, what was he good for?

It had been easier, in the sunlight, to push those thoughts away. But now, with the threat of another fight looming, they begin to press in again. Nico pushes his plate away and stands. Jason doesn’t bother to question him, too busy staring at his own uneaten food.

 

Nico isn’t surprised to find Hades waiting for him.

His father stands with his back to the fire at the center of the cabin lawn, so close to the flames the heat would burn him if he were a mortal. Nico thinks about ignoring him, he knows he won’t like what his father has to say.

Nico stops in front of him.

Hades says, “Son.” 

“Father.” Nico's chest feels tight. 

Hades smiles, small and sad. He holds his hands folded in front of him, the way Rachel had earlier when she’d told them her news. Nico knows what’s coming, and he doesn’t like it.

“You’re here about Apollo?” Nico asks.

Hades nods, “Zeus has let his anger move his hand once again. In punishing Apollo for his involvement in your civil war, he has not had the foresight to see how it will punish others as well. No surprise, really.” Nico recognizes Hades's bitterness like his own, a second skin they wield. “Apollo has not responded kindly. Whether intentional or no, he is threatening ruin in the wake of his own anger and bitterness.” Hades tilts his chin, “You understand this.”

Nico wants to argue, to refuse. He doesn’t. “Why me?” He asks, not expecting an answer. He doesn’t get one.

“I’m sorry,” Hades says, a condolence. “This cannot go on any longer. Too much is at risk. The amount of death that this will bring if you do not stop it—” Hades looks disgusted, and Nico feels a twinge of sympathy for his father. Mortal lives are messy, and the other gods could ignore them entirely, but Hades didn’t have that privilege.

“Right, because I’m the best person for the job.”

“Yes,” Hades says. Nico can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic.

“How do you expect me to stop a god?” 

“Apollo has been weakened, though he remains immortal. You cannot stop him through force, but—”

Nico turns to find a crowd has gathered behind them. Chiron stands closest to them, Rachel beside him. Though at least a dozen feet remain between Nico and his father and the other campers. No one dares step closer to the God of the Underworld.

“Hades,” Chiron says, voice tight.

Hades inclines his head, “Chiron.”

“You’re here about my dad, aren’t you?” Will Solace demands, breaking from the crowd to step forward. He seems to catch himself halfway to them, stopping midway between the front line of campers and Nico. “You know what’s wrong with him?”

Hades looks impatient. “I do.” His voice is tight, and Nico knows he hadn’t wanted an audience. Nico had inherited his father’s solitude above all else. “I am attempting to correct it.” 

Will looks puzzled, then seems to notice Nico standing there. “You’re sending Nico? How is he—” He cuts himself off, clearly realizing that insulting Hades’ son wasn’t the wisest choice.

Hades raises an eyebrow, but Nico can’t tell if he’s offended or amused. Probably amused. Hades knows Nico can defend himself, and the god does enjoy drama, so long as he’s not the one involved. “Yes, I am sending Nico. And the mortal girl,” Hades says, lifting a hand to indicate Rachel. 

Nico wants to argue that Rachel is probably the least equipped partner to have if they’re going to fight an angry god. But he’s also thankful Hades isn’t making him do this alone. He’s not sure he could.

Rachel moves from Chiron’s side, coming to stand beside Nico in front of Hades. She bows before the god, small but formal, and meets Nico’s eyes when she straightens. “I’ll do it.” She sounds braver than Nico feels. 

Nico nods, unhappy but not unwilling. He understands what this will take, and he thinks, if nothing else, at least no one else has to get hurt. Everyone here and at Camp Jupiter, Percy and Annabeth in the mortal world, they will all be safe if he succeeds in subduing Apollo. And if he doesn’t, at least he won’t live long enough to see the aftermath.

Will looks between Nico and Rachel, then says, “I want to go, too.”

Nico does argue then. “Absolutely not,” He says, furiously turning to face Will. He hopes his anger is enough to make Will back down. “You're not coming." 

Will glares at him, but chooses his battle wisely. Nico is a lost cause. Will turns back to Hades. “I should go. I’m Apollo’s son, I can reason with him. I understand his powers, and his weaknesses.” Nico can tell his father is actually listening, though Hades still doesn’t look convinced. Then, Will plays his ace. “I’m also a healer. Nico’s powers drain him, he needs me there in case something happens.” 

Nico knows Will’s won it. Hades will send Will with them, and for the barest moment, Nico feels relieved. Will is right. After less than two months, any use of Nico’s powers still leaves him feeling exhausted and nauseous at best, and that’s with only brief attempts. If Nico has to shadow-travel the three of them anywhere or call on the dead for help, he’s not sure he’ll survive it this time. Nico’s doesn’t know how much help Will would really be, but the other boy is steady under pressure and that’s reassuring in a way that Nico can’t place. 

He wants to be pissed. But it’s a useless desire. 

Hades nods. “Alright. You will go with Nico and the girl. Try to be useful and not annoying, like your father.” 

Nico snickers, and Hades gives him the barest hint of a smile. Beside him, Rachel laughs under her breath. 

“Are there any objections?” Hades asks, looking over the campers.

“You’re sure this is the best course of action, Hades?” Chiron asks, displeasure obvious in his voice. 

Hades looks almost mournful then. “I am.” 

“Good luck, son,” He says, but to Nico it sounds like an apology. “Any final words?” Hades looks to Rachel and Will, in turn. “No? Good.”

Then, without warning, the ground beneath them opens. In the split second before the shadows swallow them, Nico looks up. Above the camp, the sky is the color of dead flame.

 

Nico lands hard, unable to keep his legs from buckling. He has just enough time before he drops to grab Rachel, pulling her against him to keep her from falling. Nico hits the ground on his knees, pain slicing across the bone. Rachel manages to stay standing, and Nico lets go of her.

She looks alarmed, but quickly recovers and gives him a grateful smile. Nico takes the hand she offers, pulling himself back to his feet and ignoring the ache in his legs. He can stand on them, so they’re not broken. 

Will tumbles out of the shadows behind them, immediately dropping to his hands and knees. Nico has time to see that he’s landed at the bottom of a set of stone steps, before Will is leaning over and throwing up. Somehow, he manages to get most of it in the bushes at the side of the steps.

Nico feels kind of good, in a mean way. Will always acts untouchable and holier than thou, especially when it comes to Nico and his ‘underworld-y’ powers. It’s vindicating to see Will reduced to his knees after one trip through the shadows.

Nico doesn’t think about the first time he’d shadow traveled, how he’d felt every second of it, how he’d mirrored Will on his knees, except when he’d thrown up, it had been straight into his own lap. 

Nico feels his side, relieved to grip the hilt of his sword. 

When Will catches his breath, he meets Nico’s eyes and says, “I am never doing that again.” 

Nico shrugs, then nods to the bush Will had just thrown up in, “I think that’s desecration, Solace.”

Will kindly ignores him. He gets to his feet and looks around them.

They’re standing at the foot of stone steps, the leftovers of what once was clearly a temple. Above them, only six columns remain, forming a right angle where the corner of the building used to be. Off to their left, the remnants of dozens of other buildings lie scattered down the mountainside, overgrown and crumbling. The scene looks erie, juxtaposed against the ash gray sky hanging over the valley. Nico can’t tell what time it is. The auroras Rachel had told them about fill the sky above them, casting a glow like aged neon over the ruins.

“Where are we?” Will asks.

“Delphi.” Rachel walks to the side of the stone porch, looking down at the valley below.

Will looks around again, as if he’d missed something the first time. “How do you know?”

Nico wonders if Will just likes being a pain in the ass, it would explain a lot.

Rachel hums, “I don’t know. Just a feeling. I recognize it, I guess.”

She turns back to face them. Under the lights, Rachel’s hair is spilled blood against stone. The aurora behind her is a bright green, and Nico thinks that’s ironic considering where they are and who she is.

Nico points to the nearest stone column, “And it says it right there.” That earns him another laugh from Rachel, and another glare from Will. They’re already establishing a pattern.

The column is inscribed in Ancient Greek. Nico’s eyes catch on a set of words inscribed at eye level. A maxim. _Meden Agan._ Nothing in excess.

Will turns back to the ruins. He’s wearing only khaki shorts and a thin gray hoodie. His knees are scraped and bloody from their impact on the stones. “We’re in Greece,” Will sounds amazed and horrified. “We have no food, no supplies, no money. And we’re in Greece, at my father’s temple.”

Rachel and Nico meet eyes.

“Yeah,” Rachel says, and her voice wavers.

 

Nico and Will follow behind Rachel as they pick their way up the hillside. The stones are crumbling and uneven, fall-dead grass growing in fitful tufts from the cracks, and in the gray-dark it’s hard to find sure footing. Nico can feel the ache from his landing spread up his legs with each step. Will doesn’t say anything, but Nico knows he's in pain. Will’s breath tightens every time he takes a wrong step, and Nico can picture the shredded skin on Will's knees pulling each time.

They’re quiet until they reach the top, where the steps give way to the wide, flat floor of an amphitheater. Above them, three dozen rows of seats climb toward the open sky.

Nico walks to the center of the amphitheater and sits down, cross legged. He sets his sword across his legs. Around him, the sky is slowly growing lighter.

Will and Rachel sit on either side of him, so that together the three form a loose circle where their knees don’t quite touch. Nico turns to face Will and says, “So what’s your plan?”

Will frowns, and Nico laughs. The sound cuts through the silence around them too sharply. Nico can hear his own ruthlessness in it. “What, you don’t have one?” Nico asks, and it’s cruel, mocking. 

“No,” Will says, voice hard. Nico’s not surprised.

“No,” Nico says, “Of course not.” Stubborn, fiery Will Solace volunteers himself for an already doomed quest, powerless, weaponless, and without a plan. At least Nico and Rachel hadn’t chosen to come here, they had the excuse of being forced. Will had done this to himself.

Rachel says, “We need to figure out why Hades sent us here.” 

Nico takes his eyes off Will. “My father obviously thought this place was important. It’s sacred to Apollo, but that can’t just be it. What else is here?”

“Would Apollo be here?” 

“No,” Will breaks in, “That’s too easy.” At their looks, he says, “Hades wouldn’t send us straight to Apollo. That’s too easy, and besides that’s never how quests work anyway. We’ll have to find our own way to Apollo, but there’s something else here. I don’t know what, but it has to be important.” 

Nico looks around them, half expecting an answer to walk out of the shadows. He says, “What do we know about this place?”

Rachel volunteers, “In ancient times, it was the Sanctuary of Apollo. This was the home of the Oracle of Delphi, where people would come to hear her speak at the temple.” She points down the mountain, to the ruins they’d landed next to.

“The Greeks considered it the center of the world,” Will says. Looking out at the sky falling away into the valley, Nico can understand how his ancestors had thought that. Sitting at the bottom of the amphitheater, walled in by endless stone at his front, and at his back, the edge of the center of the ancient world, Nico feels the weight of it all press in on him. 

“And this is where Apollo defeated Python,” Nico finishes. “Right?”

Will nods, then corrects, “In most versions of the myth, yes. In others it was down the valley, at the Castalian Spring.” 

Next to him, Rachel looks pale. “You think we have to defeat Python?” 

Nico shrugs. “I don’t know. It would make sense.” 

Will says, “Jason said Python was back, right? Guarding this temple again?”

Nico is staring at his sword in his lap, but he nods. “Yeah. Apollo told him on Delos. It could explain why the Oracle is silent.” 

“Great,” Will says. 

“Is it safe for us to stay here?” Rachel asks. 

They fall quiet for several minutes, listening. Nico scans the shadows lingering around them, searching for anything that seems off. He waits for something to move, but aside from their breathing, the night doesn’t change. “I think we’re okay for now,” Nico says.

 

Nico volunteers to cover first watch while Rachel and Will sleep, given that he’s the only one with a weapon. He doesn’t say that he’s used to keeping himself awake, or that he feels too wired to sleep anyway. Nico knows Will wants to argue, but there’s nothing to argue with. 

Rachel and Will lie down at the bottom of the stands, and Nico takes a seat several rows up. From there, it looks like the stage of the amphitheater falls away into open sky, like if you walked past the edge you’d walk straight into oblivion. It reminds Nico of the entrance to Olympus, extended over open air, with Manhattan and it’s people thousands of feet below, unaware. 

Nico knows even if he wanted to, there’s no way he could sleep this high up. The distance makes him uneasy. Nico can handle being underground, there’s something reassuring and undeniably solid in the earth. But there is nothing as benevolent about the sky. Air will not catch you if you fall, especially not Nico. Zeus would probably shift the winds against him. 

The only indication that something lies below the theater is the very tops of the columns that rise over the ledge from what remains of the temple, like a giant’s outstretched hand. 

The thought of giants brings him to another thought. This sanctuary had existed long before Apollo. Before Apollo claimed it, this place had been dedicated to a different god. The people here had worshipped Gaea long before Apollo was ever born. The Oracle had been under her control, and the Earth Goddesses’ own son was the very monster that guarded this temple before Apollo arrived and slew him. Apollo was associated with conquest and plague just the same as he was music and light. Nico thinks it’s fitting, that the god built his shrine on the grave of another. Nico wonders if Apollo will spare it in his destruction, or if it will be lost alongside everything else.

Nico sits and watches the shadows crawl out of the valley. At his feet, Rachel and Will have managed to fall asleep on the ground. Nico tries not to feel guilty, but then he looks at Will, curled up on his side against the stone, and his guilt is replaced with anger.

Hades might have sent them here, stranded halfway across the world, but Apollo is the reason for it. If the world ends before they come up with a way to stop it, it will be Apollo’s fault. 

There’s a bad taste in his mouth when Nico thinks of it. People have never accepted him or his father, but that never stopped Nico. He could never wise up and do the same to everyone else. Despite his self-imposed isolation and near-constant desire to retreat to the shadows, Nico still wants to be around people. He still cares about them, even if they have never given a shit about him. He thinks that just makes the whole situation worse.

From what Nico knows of Apollo, the god is hot-tempered and arrogant. He’s not surprised that Apollo would react this way to Zeus’ punishment, but it doesn’t justify it either. Apollo is throwing a godly fit, and the entire world has to suffer the consequences. 

Nico looks at Will again, here on his own stubbornness alone. His resemblance to Apollo isn’t hard to see, even past just his looks. The other boy acted calm and collected, but underneath it Nico had seen the feverish light in his eyes, the hard set of his body, like Will was always one step away from doing something reckless, and only through sheer force of will alone was he able to hold himself back. 

Nico knew Will hated him. It wasn’t hard to see, but Nico didn’t understand why. With other people, their dislike of Nico was more blatant, and the reason more clear; they were afraid of him, or they thought he was weird and creepy, or they had long-held prejudices about his father. But Nico knew Will well enough to know that it was none of those things. Will wasn’t afraid of him, and he wasn’t afraid to call Nico out on his bullshit. Nico was pretty sure Will didn’t give a shit about Hades either, and given how Will had talked to Hades earlier, entirely sure of himself and not at all hesitant to insult Nico, Nico knows it’s not that. 

No, Will hates Nico for something more than just being a child of the Underworld. That might be part of it, too, but whatever problem Will has with him, it’s personal. That’s kind of relieving, in a way. Nico would rather be hated for who he actually is, rather than for what people think he is. Will is at least honest in that regard.

But Nico doesn’t know what he did to deserve Will’s hatred, and Will doesn’t hate him in a way that Nico can easily stomach. The other boy still talked to him, had defended him before, and even went so far as to take care of him after the last war. But beneath all of that, Nico can feel Will’s enmity towards him like a charge in the air. Nico had been sincere in his promise of three days in the infirmary. He had let Will clean his wounds and held still while Will properly stitched them. Then he’d obeyed Will’s order to rest, and hadn’t even denied it afterward when Will said, _‘Bet you feel better now, huh?’_ Then Will had gone back to acting as if Nico were invisible, and Nico wasn’t sure what that meant.

Nico doesn’t know what to do around Will. He feels self-conscious in a completely foreign way, like Will is constantly scrutinizing him, waiting for him to do or say something that would justify Will’s hatred. Nico is torn between being mean and sarcastic just to vindicate him, and being honest and agreeable just to spite him. It gives Nico a headache.

And the kicker is that Nico really doesn’t want Will to hate him. There’s something about the other boy that Nico doesn’t want to explain, an attraction that Nico will vehemently deny until his death. Will is interesting and difficult, and Nico likes a challenge.

On the ground, Rachel shifts in her sleep. Nico drags his eyes away from them, to where the auroras have faded into clear sky. Below, the valley is in plain view. Nico doesn’t like heights, but he can’t deny the way the sight in front of him pulls the air from his lungs.

 

Nico doesn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until he’s startled awake by the noises. 

He has to take a moment to get his bearings and another for his sight to clear. Everything is too thin and bright in the mountain air. 

Rachel and Will are awake too, Rachel still on the ground, but sitting up. Will is already standing. In front of them, two wolves have appeared, growling and teeth bared. Nico’s chest feels tight.

They’re not surrounded, but they hadn’t considered that by sleeping against the amphitheater stands, they had walled themselves in. They could go up, but Nico knows that the wolves would outpace them easily. 

Nico gets to his feet. He tries to be slow and unalarming, but he still catches the attention of the wolves and Will, who stupidly takes his attention off of the animals to look at him. That’s when the closest wolf lunges. 

Nico runs down the steps, nearly tripping, but he manages to lash at the wolf with his sword. The wolf retreats several feet, growling low in its throat. Will is on the ground, and Nico doesn’t dare look at him, but he can tell Will is still conscious by the way he’s moving. 

The wolf looks like it’s sizing them up, eyes darting between Nico and Will. It’s just a regular wolf, but he can’t help but think of the werewolf scars on his bicep, and know that this wolf is just as deadly. 

Nico steps toward it, hoping to scare it off without having to fight it. That’s when the other wolf lunges. 

Before it can strike him it stumbles, a distressed whimper falling out of its throat. Nico looks down to see Rachel, still on the ground to his left, with a jagged piece of rock in her hand. The one she’d thrown lies at the startled wolf’s paws. Nico had underestimated her. He should have known the girl was tough, she threw a hairbrush at the Titan Lord.

Rachel rises to her feet screaming and throws another rock. Nico darts forward, slashing at the second wolf with his sword. He hears, more than sees, that Rachel has hurt the other wolf. His sword slices against the wolf’s hide in front of him, and the animal shifts to attack. Whatever is happening with Apollo, these wolves are clearly affected. Their behaviour isn’t natural.

Nico gets a good hit at the wolf’s flank. The wolf backs away, but Nico follows. He chases it to the edge of the amphitheater, cutting forward with his sword as he moves. With each contact the wolf barks, high and scared. Nico doesn’t stop. He pushes the animal back until it has nowhere to go. When it retreats further, its back leg finds open air and it stumbles. Nico drives his sword forward, meeting bone, and the wolf falls. It tumbles down the stone and lands a dozen feet below, at the base of the steps. It doesn’t get up. 

Nico lowers his sword and realizes he’s shaking. 

He turns back to Rachel and Will. The second wolf is gone, back into the trees if Rachel’s stare is any indication. When she meets Nico’s eyes, she looks startled to find them alone again. “I scared it off. The other one—”

“It’s dead,” Nico says. 

Rachel gives him a shaky nod. She walks back to Will and kneels down in front of him. With her hand, Rachel turns his head, pressing at the base of his skull to test his pain. Will winces and pushes Rachel’s hand away. 

Nico looks away. He turns back to the edge of the amphitheater and tries to slow down his thoughts. Behind him, Rachel and Will are talking in low voices, but he doesn’t hear what they’re saying. His pulse is loud in his ears. Around them, the morning is calm and silent over the valley, but the stillness feels out of place in the wake of the wolves’ attack. Nico feels that intimate need to move, to run. He pushes it down. He has nowhere to go. 

 

The modern city of Delphi may as well have been ruins. As far as Nico could see, it was abandoned just the same.

As they make their way towards the town, Nico sees nothing that would indicate that anyone lives here. There’s no movement, even the trees stand like stone in the thin air. Rachel walks straight across roads that zig-zag down the valley, through empty yards and in between silent houses. Nico and Will trail behind her. No one appears to stop them.

Nico can feel the people here, can sense each life inside the houses they pass. But no one is outside, and as they get closer to the town center, Nico notices that the businesses are all closed. It feels like the entire town is holding its breath, waiting for a sign it’s okay to exhale. Nico thinks of the entire city of Manhattan, asleep and waiting. 

Will is the first to mention it. “Is this because of Apollo?” 

Rachel stops in the middle of a barren street. “Maybe. It’s like they’re all shut in for a hurricane, waiting out the storm.” Except, there is no storm. The sky above them is the color of a stagnant pond, but otherwise the day is perfect. Nico’s not sure what the mortals could be seeing that would make them react like this. He’d expected the exact opposite: mass panic and crowded streets. 

“The weather is fine,” Nico says, stating the obvious.

Rachel shrugs, then finishes crossing the street to stand in front of a small shop. The sign on the front is in Greek, and Nico wonders if Rachel can read it. _Pantopoleío_. A grocers.

“They’re having a great sale today,” Rachel says, pointing through the store window. “Everything is free.” There’s a hint of a laugh in her voice that Nico can’t help but smile at. 

Will doesn’t find it as funny. “You want to steal?” His tone makes it sound like this is the worst thing he’s ever heard.

Rachel offers him a half-hearted shrug. “No one is here and we need supplies. I’d prefer not to steal from a small business, but I don’t see any other options.” 

Will starts to argue, “We can’t just steal things, there’s got to be something else. Maybe—”

Nico says, “She’s right.” He didn’t have any strong feelings about stealing, but Will was vehemently against it. 

Will glares at him. “We can manage without stealing.”

Nico shakes his head. “We need supplies. You’re injured, and we’re going to fight at least one more monster before this is over. Plus maybe your dad. Besides, we need food.” 

Will still looks angry, but he stays silent. “You can keep watch,” Nico tells him.

Rachel nods, “Okay, great.” 

Nico pulls at the shop door, but it holds tight. “Locked,” He says mildly. 

Rachel waves his hand away. She reaches into her pants pockets and pulls out a green sharpie, a kleenex, and finally, a bobby pin. She replaces the marker and tissue in her pocket, then gets to her knees in front of the door and inserts the bobby pin. Nico and Will stand behind her and watch as she picks the lock. After several minutes and several attempts, the lock makes a little clicking sound, and Rachel removes the bobby pin. She puts it back in her pocket, stands, then swings open the door. “Ta-da,” She announces, clearly impressed with herself. 

Nico is impressed, too. Even Will looks a little mollified. He meets Nico’s eyes, frowns, and turns away to sit on the curb. Nico’s pretty sure he hears Will say “ _Stealing is wrong_ ” under his breath. 

Nico follows Rachel inside. The shop is dark but the light from outside is enough to see by. Rachel wanders to the back, and Nico follows, reluctant to be alone. By the back door Rachel finds a light switch, but when she tries it the lights don’t come on. “Power’s out,” She tells him, then heads off into the aisles. Nico trails behind her, eyes scanning the shelves for anything that might be useful. 

The shop is small, with only a half dozen aisles and no fresh food or cold drinks. Local products line the shelves, everything in Greek. Rachel turns down what appears to be the snack aisle. She grabs a wrapped pastry off the shelf in front of her, then reaches to a shelf below and grabs another one. “Do you think any of this is gluten free?” 

Nico rolls his eyes. “Are you worried about your gluten intake right now?” Rachel tilts her head like she’s considering, but Nico points to the pastry in her right hand. “That one is.” 

“Oh, thanks.” Rachel puts the gluten pastry down, then thinks better of it and picks it back up, offering it to Nico. He takes it. 

They continue down the aisle, gathering snacks in their arms. Nico collects several more pastries, a handful of cereal bars, and cans of soda. Rachel holds pastries, a package of cookies, a box of cereal, and four bags of beef jerky, all of which Nico confirms to be gluten free. “Hm,” She says, looking between them.

They head into the next aisle, but Nico gets sidetracked by a small display of Mythomagic cards. Half the world away and he’s still reminded of Bianca.

Rachel finds him again a few minutes later. She's holding a cloth backpack out to him. Nico looks at her for a moment, then says, “I'm sorry you're here.” He winces at his poor word choice. 

Rachel smiles. “I'm not.” She lowers the bag and looks around them. “I always felt like I was meant to do something more, to _be_ something more than just, who I am.” She frowns then, and Nico can see a tiny fragment of insecurity hidden beneath her layers. “I'm supposed to be here. I'm not sorry Hades sent me, or you, or Will. This feels right.” She sounds so sure that Nico wants to believe her. 

“It feels like a suicide mission.” 

Rachel shrugs and lifts the bag again. “Maybe. I wish I knew, but maybe it's better sometimes not to.”

Nico nods. He dumps his food inside the bag. Along with her food, Rachel has added a pack of hair ties, a box of menstrual pads and a postcard that reads _Greetings from Delphi_ with a ridiculously stylized cartoon Apollo superimposed over a grainy photo of the ruins. 

Nico follows Rachel past another aisle to find the medicine. They add a bottle of painkillers, several boxes of bandages, tissues, cotton swabs, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol to the bag. “Think that’s good?” Rachel asks.

Nico shrugs, “Could really use some nectar and ambrosia, but I doubt they sell it here.” 

“Nope,” Rachel agrees. 

They make their way back outside, Nico gently shutting the shop door behind them. Will still sits on the curb, but he’s not alone.

 

Artemis looks the same as she had four years ago, in the snow outside Westover Hall. 

Her hair is pulled back into an intricate braid that’s coming loose, several auburn strands escaping to fall around her face. If Nico didn’t know better, he could have mistaken her for a middle school girl, dishevelled from playing in the streets. Artemis speaks to Will in the low voice of an adult, though, calm and serious in a way that a child usually wasn’t.

The goddess and Will look up when Nico and Rachel come to a stop in front of them. Artemis offers Nico a solemn nod, but her focus quickly shifts to Rachel. Artemis’ face remains impassive, but there is a glint to her eyes that reminds Nico of moonlight reflecting off of shined silver. Nico recognizes that hunger, and wonders, not for the first time, if there is more to the goddess’ aversion to men than just her oath of maidenhood. She says, “It’s a pity that my brother got to you first.”

“I don’t support hunting.” Rachel shifts on her feet, tucking a frizzy strand of hair behind her ear.

“Perhaps not such a pity, then,” Artemis says, and Rachel laughs. 

“You’re here about Apollo?” Rachel asks. “Can you tell us anything?”

Artemis stands from the sidewalk, and Will quickly scrambles to follow. Nico thinks they make an odd picture, standing in the middle of a deserted street in a tiny Greek town: two half-bloods, the mortal host of an ancient oracle, and a twelve year old goddess. “His condition is growing worse. I fear that if you do not stop it soon, it may prove impossible to stop. As for what I can tell you,” Artemis looks almost sorry, then, “I’m afraid to admit, there is not much. Our father has forbidden me from interfering, but the situation is more dire than he realizes. He has stripped my brother of everything he holds dear. I have never seen Apollo so furious.”

Rachel frowns, “He stripped Apollo of his powers?” 

“Only those that my brother is proud of, in an attempt to enforce some sort of lesson on vanity.” Artemis looks like she wants to roll her eyes, but is too stoic to actually do so. “He has been left with his less desired aspects, and is using them accordingly.” 

Nico thinks about Apollo, haughty and careless, a stark contrast to his twin. He thinks about his own anger, and the things he has done in the name of it. The sun is a source of life for everything on Earth, but it can also mean certain death if not constrained. There is a reason the night exists, and that mortals find solace in it. 

“Our father seems to think that Apollo will come to his senses on his own, but you are aware that by the time that happens, _if_ that happens, there will be nothing left of you. We are wasting time as we speak.” Artemis’ warning holds the undertone of a threat. 

“What do you suggest we do?” Rachel asks. She grips the strap of the backpack on her shoulder. 

“I suggest you bring him to his senses,” Artemis says. The frigidity of her tone is matched by her eyes. She reaches into her hair and pulls out a thin silver pin. It’s removal ruins her braid, causing her hair to fall down over her small shoulders. “For you,” She says, turning to Will. In the space between her offering the pin and Will taking it, it transforms into a full-sized silver bow. 

Will looks startled, but he quickly recovers, gripping the bow with both hands. “Thank you,” He says, but Artemis is no longer looking at him. Her attention has returned to Rachel. 

“You will find a few more things inside your pack. I wish you luck.” And with that, the goddess vanishes, leaving a cold wind in her place.

 

They settle into chairs outside a closed cafe. The sky above them is tarnished steel. Since that morning, the temperature has dropped noticeably. Nico understands the urgency of the situation, but he wishes Hades had given them time to prepare. His father had sent him to Greece wearing only black jeans and a rumpled Deaf Havana t-shirt. 

Rachel dumps the backpack they’d taken onto the table between them. She sorts through the pile, putting the medicine and sanitary products back into the bag, then picks out a pastry and holds it up for Nico to read the wrapper.

“Yeah,” Nico says, ignoring the look Will shoots him. At his confirmation, Rachel pulls it open and takes a bite. 

On top of the pile of food are the gifts Artemis promised. Nico sees a brown glass canteen among the cans of soda he had taken. He doesn’t open it, but he holds it up for Will to see. “Nectar?” 

“And ambrosia,” Will agrees, picking up a small, sealed bag. 

Nico has never felt particularly fond of the Goddess of the Hunt, but now he sends a silent thanks to Artemis. At the end of the day, she is on their side.

Will picks up a silk pouch, about the size of his hand. He pulls the strings at the top to open it and looks inside. “Arrows,” He reports. He pulls one out and, sure enough, it's a full sized arrow, the length of Will’s arm. Will slips it back into the pouch and it disappears inside easily. 

Nico had bit his cheek earlier at the sight of the bow, but now he says, “What are you supposed to do with those?” Like Will had told him, “You can't even shoot a bow.” 

Will glares at him. “Do you have to be so goddamn blunt all the time? Can't you just be nice for once—” 

“I am nice,” Nico argues. 

Will scoffs, “Sure, and you're also not dense and great with people.”

Did Will just call him stupid? Nico opens his mouth, but before he can bite back, Rachel cuts him off. 

“What’s this?” She asks, through a mouthful of pastry. In her hand is a paper brochure. “Artemis makes pamphlets? Weird.”

Nico closes his eyes.

“You can't join the Hunters, Rachel,” Nico says, and there must be something in his voice because both her and Will look at him. 

“I know, I wasn't—”

“No,” Nico corrects. He doesn’t think about the way he’d felt at eleven years old, being thrust into this unknown world of gods and monsters, and immediately losing Bianca to the Hunters of Artemis. He doesn’t think about panicking outside a different cafe in Puerto Rico, when the Hunters had taken Reyna and left only a sarcastic note behind. He tries to salvage this. “I mean you can't be a Hunter, not as the Oracle.” 

Rachel is quiet for a long moment, then she says, “Right.” She lowers the pamphlet. “Nico?” She doesn’t say _are you okay?,_ but she doesn’t need to. Nico can hear it in her voice. He thinks he’s probably too easy to read.

Nico doesn't answer for a long time. When he does, he can't lift his eyes from the table. “I lost my sister to them, and then I lost her completely.” Nico's hand is white where it grips the table. 

“Bianca,” Will says, and Nico finally looks up. He has never discussed Bianca with anyone, especially not Will. “Annabeth told me,” Will adds, seeing the look on Nico's face. 

Nico's grip on the table doesn't loosen. His wrist aches. “Yeah,” He says. 

Rachel sets the pamphlet on the table, then seems to think better of it and picks it back up. She crumbles it up and tosses it into a nearby trash can. When Rachel turns back to him, she asks, “What happened?” 

“She died,” Nico let's go of the table. “On a quest with Percy.” 

“Oh,” Rachel says, “I'm sorry. My hamster died when I was six. My parents put me in therapy. Have you tried that?”

Will looks like he wants to leap over the table and murder Rachel for a second, but at Nico's startled laugh, he relaxes. “I'll look into it,” Nico says. He has no idea what therapy is. 

Rachel’s eyes tell him she knows he’s lying, but she doesn’t push it. “We should talk about what’s happening.” 

Will takes a granola bar out of the pile and nibbles at it. “The world is ending,” Will says, like he’s reporting that there’s a slight chill today.

Nico rolls his eyes, “Thanks, we’re aware.”

“Artemis said that Zeus stripped Apollo of his powers, but only the ones he’s proud of? What does that mean?” 

“Healing, light, music,” Will answers, “They’re what Apollo is known for, why people worship him. If Zeus took those things away—”

“Apollo would be left with disease. Plague, and death. But that doesn’t make sense, Apollo is proud of those things, too.” Nico doesn’t miss Will’s grimace, but even Will can’t deny that his father isn’t the most benevolent god. “There’s countless myths about Apollo using those powers when people disrespect and anger him, or when the Fates lead him to. The Trojan War, killing the Cyclopes, Niobe, that one guy he flayed alive—”

“Yes!” Will cuts in, “We get it.” 

Nico shrugs. Rachel finishes his line of thought, “So he must still have his powers. It has to be Apollo affecting the sun and influencing the animals.”

“Right,” Nico says. “But Artemis said Zeus took them…”

Will leans forward, realization dawning on his face, “He didn’t take them, he changed them.” At Nico and Rachel’s confused looks, he explains, “Think about it. It’s like everything Apollo controls is now bad. Destructive. There’s disease and no healing, the sun is harmful, and the animals are violent instead of normal. Maybe Zeus didn’t take his powers, maybe he just stripped him of their good qualities.” 

“Why would he do that?”

“To punish Apollo. People worship Apollo for his good attributes. If you take those away, you’re left with only things to fear. And being feared isn’t the same as being worshipped.” Nico can hear bitterness slip into his words, again. “Zeus is trying to teach him a lesson on pride.”

Will nods, “It makes sense.” Nico meets Will’s eyes, there is a tenderness there that Will has never directed at Nico. Nico looks away. He doesn’t need this golden boy’s pity. 

Rachel asks the most apparent question, “But if Zeus wanted to curb his pride, why not just take Apollo’s powers away? Make him mortal again?”

“Because that has never worked before. Apollo would just serve his punishment as a mortal, have his powers restored, and not learn anything. Zeus is trying to show Apollo that his powers aren’t everything. By twisting them into their crueler aspects, he’s proving that his powers can’t be Apollo’s be-all end-all. They can be taken away, and they can be used against him. Apollo is supposed to realize he’s more than just his powers, and therefore be a good person despite them, that way he’ll be more inclined to earn people’s worship rather than simply expect it. Just because he’s a god doesn’t mean he deserves praise. Which is, frankly, rich, coming from Zeus.” This earns Nico a snort from Will, and he thinks maybe they’re approaching even ground. Maybe, if they survive this quest, Will might stop looking at Nico like he exists just to spite Will. 

“Okay, so,” Rachel waves her hand as if performing an elaborate bow. She repeats, “Apollo still has his powers—”

“They might not be as strong,” Nico adds. “My father said that Apollo had been weakened, but that we couldn’t win by force.”

“No, we have to talk him down. Make him see the light.” Will looks really proud of himself for that word choice. Nico doesn’t give him the satisfaction of retorting. “But how are we supposed to reason with a god?” 

“He’s your father, shouldn’t you know what to say?” Nico asks, half serious, half sarcastic. Out of the three of them, Nico probably has the best relationship with his father, and even then he only really knows how to navigate it when they’re fighting together in literal combat. Conversations aren’t his strong suit. 

Nico expects Will to get angry, but he doesn’t. He looks almost sad. “I haven’t spoken to my father in years,” Will says. “Apollo rarely comes to camp, and when he does, he has a lot of kids, so it’s hard to... Honestly, Percy has probably talked to Apollo more than I have. Maybe he should’ve come on this quest.” Will shrugs, too forced to be casual. 

Nico thinks of crash-landing in the lake in Apollo’s sun bus. Will had been there, among the campers that came to get them out of the water. Nico might not have a great relationship with Hades, but at least he doesn’t have to compete with anyone else for his father’s attention. Hades only had two children now, and neither Nico, nor Hazel seemed too inclined to vie for his love. Nico was thankful for what he got, and Hazel was thankful to be ignored. Nico couldn’t imagine what it must be like for Will, to have Apollo as a father, having to compete with not only his own siblings, but other god’s children as well. Not to mention the fact that Apollo was too full of himself to mind anyone else.

“Why did you?” Nico asks, because it’s been bothering him. Will gives him an odd look, so he clarifies, “Come on this quest, I mean. You volunteered, why?”

Across from him, Rachel has pulled out her green sharpie and begun doodling on her jeans underneath the table. Her head is lowered, her halo of red curls falling forward to shield her face, but Nico can tell she’s listening still. Will leans forward, a defensive posture so familiar to Nico it looks odd on Will. “I don’t know.” 

“Bullshit,” Nico says.

Will frowns, “I’m serious. I wasn’t thinking, I usually don’t—” Will anticipates Nico’s next words, shooting him a glare to keep them inside Nico’s throat. Nico shuts his mouth. “Things were just going bad, and I was connected to it. Even if Apollo’s never really given a shit about me, I’m still his kid. And I’m the oldest, so my siblings shouldn’t have to do this. I guess I just wanted to help.” He raps his knuckles on the table softly, as if testing to see if his words hit home.

“I’m in way over my head. I know that. You don’t have to tell me.” Will doesn’t sound angry, or bitter, just tired. “And I don’t know how to fix this. I have no idea how to reason with Apollo. That’s sort of his thing, being unreasonable.” Nico wants to say that it’s sort of Will’s thing too, but he likes this Will, softer and more open than usual.

“My father and Artemis seem to think it’s possible. As much as it feels like it, this quest can’t be a suicide mission. There has to be a way to get through to him.” 

Will shrugs and leans back in his chair. “Maybe we can just ask him nicely to please stop.” Rachel laughs into her lap and Will smiles.

“We’ll figure it out,” Nico promises, and it almost doesn’t feel like a lie.

 

Will argues against it, but at Rachel and Nico’s insistence, he eventually concedes to breaking into the Delphi Palace. The hotel sits right across the street from the grocery store and the cafe, and technically they don’t even have to break in, because the front doors are unlocked. Nico doesn’t point this out, but he also doesn’t miss Will’s expression when Rachel pushes the door open.

The lobby, much like the rest of the town, is deserted. The front desk stands empty to the right of the front door. Rachel steps up to it and rings the bell sat on top. Nico momentarily panics, but no one appears to welcome them. He’s not sure what Rachel’s plan had been if someone had. “Just curious,” she says when she catches Nico and Will’s looks.

Their footsteps seem loud on the tile as they make their way to the stairs, discussing the possibility that they might stumble into an occupied room. None of them are sure how thorough this desolation is; Nico had felt people’s presence in the houses they’d passed coming into town, but he can’t feel anyone in the hotel. He wonders if there’s no visitors because the owners had closed the hotel, though that seems unlikely given the unlocked entrance, or if there’s no one here for the same reason that there’s no one in the rest of town. 

Rachel leads them to a room seemingly at random. The door is locked, but when she knocks there is no answer. She gets to her knees and pulls out her bobby pin again. This time, it takes only a few seconds before the lock clicks and she swings the door open. 

Inside, the room is bathed in flame. The sun is setting over Delphi, and the afternoon light pours from the window through paper-thin maroon curtains, casting the white room in a glow like red fluorescent. It reaches every inch of the small space, so that even the corners light up with soft red shadows. They all seem to realize that there is only one bed at the same time.

“We can find another room,” Rachel offers.

“No,” Will says, a little too sharply, “We’re done breaking into places.”

“There’s no one here, we could all have our own rooms if we wanted,” Nico counters. 

“We’re not separating. This room is fine, we’ll make it work.” Will sounds adamant, but there’s apprehension on his face. Nico’s mildly offended that Will so obviously doesn’t want to share a bed with him, even though he absolutely doesn’t want to share a bed with Will. Nico doesn’t mind Rachel, but he has this feeling that she probably kicks in her sleep. Maybe he’ll just sleep on the floor, anything is better than the hard stone they’d slept on the night before.

“Whatever,” Nico says.

Rachel sets their bag on the mattress. Above the bed is a framed painting of a woman in a traditional greek dress, probably Daphne or another one of Apollo’s lovers if Nico had to guess. The light from outside is so glaring that it stains the picture, the woman’s hair, her dress, her skin, all of it red. Nico walks over and pulls the curtains back. 

Behind them isn’t a window, but a set of glass doors that lead onto a balcony. Nico stares out at white buildings, their red-tiled roofs on fire under the sunset, with wooden shutters closed tight. They line the street and carry on down the valley, cypress trees shooting up among them like the leftover pillars of the sanctuary nestled above the town. In the distance, another white city rises where the valley falls away into the sea. 

“The Corinthian Gulf,” Will says, coming to stand at his shoulder. Rachel moves to Nico’s other side to see. 

“It’s beautiful,” She says. 

It is. Nico’s seen a lot in his short lifetime, he’s shadow-traveled across the world dozens of times and wandered through foreign cities. He’s experienced New York, with it’s lights and never-ending sounds. He’s seen Olympus and the Underworld. And yet, looking at this now, the quiet town of Delphi set against a hazy backdrop of the Parnassus and the Ionian Sea, it is somehow more than all of that. Like looking at a photograph taken out of focus, the image wasn’t important, but the feeling that it gave Nico was.

Maybe it’s because Nico might not survive the next few days, or maybe it’s because he’s not looking at it alone.

 

Nico keeps tripping over something Hades said, before he sent them here. 

_‘He is threatening ruin in the wake of his own anger and bitterness.’_ Hades wasn’t a cruel man. Nico knew this, and yet his father’s words felt like salt in his wounds. _‘You understand this.’_

Nico understood anger and bitterness. He’d carried the weight of both for years, and yet he wasn’t sure that’s what his father had meant. Nico got the feeling that Hades was telling him more than he was saying. 

Was he supposed to empathize with Apollo? Was that the grand lesson he was meant to take from this quest? He hoped not. 

The balcony door clicks open. Rachel sits on the ground beside him. She sets down two cans of stolen soda and holds out a pastry to Nico. Nico takes it. 

He gets halfway through it before he realizes it’s gluten free, but he keeps eating. He hadn’t realized how hungry he’d been. Beside him, Rachel pops the top on her soda and takes a drink. “It’s peaceful out here.”

Nico opens the second can and swallows down his pastry. He says, “I know.”

“That’s why you like it?”

“There’s no people.” Nico pushes at the tab of his soda with his thumb. 

Rachel says, “You don’t like people.”

“People don’t like me,” Nico corrects. He takes another sip. 

Rachel’s quiet for a minute, then, softly, she says, “That’s not true.” Nico turns to look at her. Without power, Delphi is in the dark. Around them, the shadows are as heavy as the silence. If she weren’t right beside him, Nico’s not sure he’d be able to see Rachel at all. “People don’t understand you. But you don’t really give them a chance to, do you?”

Nico wonders if Rachel can read minds on top of seeing the future. He hopes she hadn’t heard his thoughts about her kicking in her sleep. He looks away. “I’ve never belonged with them. People are scared of me, they don’t want me around.”

Rachel shrugs, “That’s their problem.” She tips her soda towards him like she’s wagging a finger. “You can’t limit yourself just because you’re too much for people. I tried to do that, and it was awful. I never want to feel like that again. It was like I was tearing myself apart to please everyone else, but I wasn’t happy.”

“Are you happy now?” Nico asks. He expects her to say yes, to tell him that all he has to do is stop running and that everything else will fall into place.

“I don’t know,” She admits instead. “I think happiness is too subjective. Too fickle. I’m happy sometimes, and other times I’m just okay. But I’m not miserable, and I’m living for myself now. I think that’s the important part. Everything that I’m doing, I’m doing because I’m choosing to. And I’m not letting fear or anything else control my decisions.”

Rachel stares out into the darkness, but her eyes are unfocused. “When I lived with my parents, it felt like I was trying to play this part for them, and then when I started rebelling against them, it felt like that was a part too. After I found out about all this,” She makes another little gesture with her soda, “I was so relieved. I felt like I’d finally found myself.” Rachel meets Nico’s eyes, seeming to come back to herself. “My job’s easy though, I just give prophecies. You guys have to live them.”

Nico remembers that mummified body making its way to them through the woods, just to deliver the prophecy that would kill his sister. Nico says, “Since Bianca died, I haven’t felt like I belong anywhere. Camp Half-Blood, the Underworld, Camp Jupiter. They all felt like temporary places, like I could visit and become attached to the people there, but I couldn’t stay.” Nico’s throat feels dry. He swallows it back and keeps talking. “She was the only person that ever felt like home, and I lost her. I don’t know where to go now. I know I’m running, but I’m not sure how to stop.” 

Rachel shrugs. “You can’t make homes out of people. At the end of the day, you only have yourself. And if you don’t like yourself, you’ll never feel at home, no matter where you go.”

“I see why the Oracle chose you,” Nico says, “you’re great with words.” 

Rachel laughs, light and easy. She tips her soda at him again, but this time she holds it in the air between them, waiting. He taps his against it, and the tinny sound it makes may as well have been an explosion. 

Behind them, Will says, “She’s right, though.” 

Nico doesn’t startle, but it’s a close thing. He knows now why people don’t like when he appears out of the shadows. When he turns to look, Will is leaning against the open door frame, arms crossed. Nico can barely see him, Will is a shadow against shadows, but he's familiar enough that Nico can make out details. Will's curly hair is messed up, as if he’d fallen asleep and just woken up. He has cleaned the cuts on his knees and placed bandages over them. Nico's not sure, but he thinks they have little drawings of suns on them. 

Will says, “I told you before, no one hates you. Maybe they’re scared of you, but just because they don’t know you. You don’t let them.” 

Nico turns sideways so he can face both of them, pressing his back against the balcony railing behind him. “I’ve tried. I’ve stayed at camp before. I’m staying now.”

Will shakes his head, “You haven’t tried.” He doesn’t sound angry, just tired. Like he’s over having this conversation with Nico, even though this is only the second time. “You don’t open up to people, you don’t let people in. But you expect people to care about you and want you around. It’s not fair. That’s not how it works.”

Nico wants to argue that people should care about him because he’s a person, too. That they shouldn’t need any other reason, but he sees Will’s point. He can’t keep pushing everyone away and expect them to keep coming back. “It's not that easy."

“It is,” Will says. "After Michael and Lee died, all I wanted to do was push people away. I couldn't stand it. I blamed myself.” That anger Nico recognizes reappears in Will now, and Nico realizes that even when it had been directed at him, he wasn't the cause of it. He's starting to think he and Will aren't so different. “But I didn't give in to those feelings. I let more people in, and I kept going.” 

Nico can't think of anything to say, except, "Their deaths weren't your fault, Will." 

“No, and I bet whatever it is you're running from isn't yours either.”

Nico feels utterly transparent. Bianca's death should have been what Nico was running from, at least to Will and Rachel, but it wasn't. He’d been forced to make peace with it after she’d chosen rebirth, there was nothing more Nico could do but let go. No, Bianca’s death may have been the catalyst that started Nico running, but it wasn’t what kept him from finally stopping. And somehow Will had looked right through him and seen that. 

Nico doesn’t comment on it. He says, “Do you have a plan, yet?” instead. This Will, soft and open, is a sea Nico doesn’t know how to navigate. He’d rather deal with Will’s hostility right now, at least he knows how to react to it.

Will sighs, like he’s not surprised Nico’s deflecting. “I think so. But I need a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”

“So what do you want to do?” Rachel has turned to look at Will, too. 

Will looks out at the darkness above their heads and says, “I want to summon the dead.”

 

They decide to do it off the patio outside the hotel’s restaurant. Their balcony is a little too cramped to raise the dead on, and besides, Nico needs earth to do it properly. Rachel brings their last can of soda and a handful of pastries downstairs with them.

“You’re sure you can do this?” Will asks, for the third time in twenty minutes. 

Nico rolls his eyes. “Yes,” he says. Nico sits back on his knees, setting the spoon Rachel had managed to find on the stone beside him. In front of him, right where the stone drops off into dirt, is a small, shallow hole. “This will have to do.”

Will leans over Nico to look down at the hole. He starts to say something, probably how shitty Nico is at digging holes, but Nico pushes at his leg to make him step back and shut up. Rachel kneels down on Nico’s right, and holds up the food. At Nico’s instruction, she unwraps a pastry and tosses it into the hole. Nico pops the soda open and pours it over top. Then he begins chanting in Ancient Greek.

The effect is instantaneous. The air around them chills, as if a giant freezer door had been opened in front of them. The shadows seem to grow more restless, and the silence more menacing. Behind him, Will shifts uneasily. Nico keeps chanting. He forces his voice to stay even and clear, even when the ritual drags out longer than it should and the shadows don’t settle as quickly. Finally, they shift and a woman materializes before them. 

“Cassandra,” Nico says, as the spirit kneels to drink. When she rises, Nico is surprised by how sturdy the woman looks. Given what he knows of her story, he’d expected someone more delicate. But Cassandra is tall and strong. Her hair falls over her bare shoulders in thick, russet waves, drawing attention to the striking blue of her dress and the hard pout of her lips. 

“I really do wish you people would stop disturbing me.” Cassandra folds her arms across her chest, “Haven’t I been through enough?”

Will clears his throat, “Actually, that’s what we’d like to talk to you about.” He steps forward and raises his arm, as if meaning to shake the ghost’s hand. Nico pushes at his leg again, and Will drops his arm. “We need to know what my father, uh, Apollo, was like.”

Cassandra scoffs, her clipped nails digging into the flesh of her arms. “As if you don’t already know? Your father, you say?” Her laugh is bitter and careless, “Would you like to hear how he destroyed me?” 

She’s clearly being sarcastic, but Will says, “Yes, Ma’am, thank you.” Nico rolls his eyes. Beside him, Rachel shifts. “My lady, we’re attempting to understand the god Apollo better. He’s lost control of himself and we’ve been tasked with, well, with controlling him.”

Cassandra laughs again. It’s not a pretty sound. “A hopeless task. Loxias is an unreasonable man only capable of caring for himself. You children expect to tame a god?”

Nico speaks up then, trying to salvage this conversation. “We’re only trying to see if it’s possible. Our situation is quite dire. Apollo is threatening the end of civilization entirely if he cannot be reasoned with. We thought that you could provide some insight into his temperament.”

“Oh, sure I can.” Cassandra sways in place, a little wistfully. The skirt of her dress moves around her legs as if through water. “Loxias was a ferocious man, when I knew him. Always wanting and wanting, with no restraint. As a woman in Greece, I had to hold myself back in everything. But I was selfish, I wanted power that I could yield, something I wouldn’t have to defer to any man. That’s why I asked Loxias for the gift of prophecy. And what did he ask for in return?”

“Your virginity,” Rachel responds. There’s a sour note in her voice.

“Yes,” Cassandra says. “I consented to him, but broke my word. When the time came, I wouldn’t give myself over to him, and he was angry. I thought I had succeeded, for he seemed soothed for a time. But he was not, and he cursed me. He spit into my mouth, and ever since then I could convince no one of anything. Not Troy, not about that stupid woman.” 

“Helen?” Will asks. 

Cassandra looks like she would smite Will if she could. “Yes, her. My foolish brother ignored my pleas not to take her. He started that awful war.” 

“But you tried to stop it, you told him what it would mean.”

“Of course I did! But no one believed me, thanks to your father.” The ghost looks around her, to the hotel and the mountains in the distance. “I foresaw my own destruction, my own death. My people’s as well. Yet, I was powerless to stop it. Loxias had given me the power I desired, and had corrupted it so that I could never use it. All at my own fault. You say that he is threatening ruin? Let him, he may destroy himself as well.” 

Nico sighs, swiping a hand forward to disperse the spirit. Cassandra vanishes and they’re left staring at nothing. “Was that what you wanted to hear?” He turns around to look at Will.

Will frowns, “Do the Sibyl next.”

Nico sighs again, but does as instructed. He turns back to the hole and begins chanting again, making sure to stay still and sound sure. Calling on the dead worked best if you pretended you knew what you were doing. They couldn’t touch you physically, but the dead were restless and vengeful, and there were plenty of ways to be hurt that didn’t involve touch. 

Over a minute passes before Nico stops chanting. The hole in front of them remains undisturbed, but the shadows are still. He’s almost sure it didn’t work, that he’d really pushed himself too far and lost this ability, but then Rachel says, “Sibyl?” 

There’s no answer. Rachel leans forward on her knees, “Sibyl? Can you speak to us. I know you’re there, I can feel you.” 

The dead have never scared Nico, not since he’d learned how to control his powers and defend himself. But sitting here, in the dark with no visual to react to, Nico feels the hairs on his skin raise. 

A voice directly in front of them, closer than expected, says, “I am here.”

The three of them startle, pushing backwards on the stone to put distance between themselves and the voice. It says, “Don’t be alarmed. I am sorry I cannot show myself, I have become nothing.”

Nico’s hands are scrapped, but he leans back on them. The voice hasn’t moved, so now there is several feet from where he and Rachel are on the ground to where the voice is at the edge of the hole. Will stands behind them, still, and Nico can feel the tension in his body like a live wire. “Will you talk to us?” Nico asks.

“That depends, what would you like to hear?” It’s a woman’s voice. Soft and wispy, like candle smoke. Nico can tell from her voice alone that this woman is very, very old.

“We’d like to know about your relationship with the god Apollo. Can you tell us what he was like?” 

The Sibyl hums, a barely-there sound that floats towards them like insect buzz. “I can.” She’s silent for a long moment, then she says, “Apollo took my body from me. I betrayed him, by breaking my promise. In return, he cheated me. He corrupted my wish of long-life, allowing me to remain alive, but for my body to wither away into nothing.”

Rachel asks, “What promise did you break?”

“I promised Apollo my virginity, in exchange for one wish. Like a fool, he granted my wish before I fulfilled the promise. And, like a fool, I wished for something that he could use against me. I suppose in the end, he still got my body.”

Will asks, “Do you think that Apollo can be reasoned with?”

The Sibyl is silent again as she considers. Finally, she says, “I do.” Relief swells in Nico’s chest. Until those words, he had felt utterly hopeless about their prospects. Though, he’s not sure how credible advice is from the disembodied voice of a dead prophetess, especially one who hadn’t been able to reason with Apollo. “It would take great care and thought, but I believe that Apollo can be calmed. I feel it is not impossible, though it would be incredible to see. Apollo can be vengeful, but he is not unfair in his vengeance.” 

Nico’s chest feels tight. He believes in justice, and vengeance was often a close companion to it. It had been Nico’s driving force for a long time. He thinks about Bryce Lawrence, and Octavian, and wonders what a fair punishment would be for their deaths. If Nico’s lucky, he’ll never have to find out. 

The shadows seem to grow darker around them. Rachel sits back on her thighs and says, “She’s gone.” 

“Have you heard enough?” Nico asks. 

Will shakes his head, “One more.”

They move back to the edge of the patio. Nico has Rachel drop another pastry into the hole, and begins chanting again. This time, several minutes stretch past. Nico feels cold work its way up his arms, like an electric chill starting in his fingertips. He keeps chanting through it and the heaviness that begins to press down on him. Nico had learned how to fine-tune his powers, pushing back at restless spirits and honing in on the one he wishes to call on. This spirit, in particular, seems reluctant to be called.

Finally, Marsyas shows himself. Death had not been kind to the satyr. His shaggy, bearded face is gaunt. Prominent ribs display on his bare chest. His legs, where fur should have been, are flayed. Nico stares at raw muscle and exposed flesh. He tries not to gag.

“I suppose you’re here to mock me?” Marsyas says, folding his arms over his chest.

“ _You’re_ here to answer our questions,” Rachel responds. Nico’s glad she’s talking, because right now he’s not sure he could. He’s suddenly very aware of how tired he is, and how much energy he’s using to bring Marsyas here.

“Oh?” Marsyas says. “And what questions would those be?” 

“You were skinned alive by the god Apollo,” Rachel says, “Because you lost a music contest.”

“So you are here to mock me!” Marsyas yells. 

“No!” Will says, “We’re just establishing facts.” 

“Facts? Fine. Yes, that is what happened. I am not proud of it, though who would be?”

“Right,” Rachel says. “Obviously you don’t think your punishment was fair.”

Marsyas says, “Oh, it was fair. It was a fitting punishment for my supposed hubris. And I admit, challenging a god was not my wisest action. But I was punished for losing, and I did not lose fairly.” 

It might be the heaviness weighing Nico down, but it sounds like Marsyas is speaking in riddles now. Rachel asks, “What do you mean?”

Will answers, “My father—Apollo—tricked you.”

Marsyas glares at Will over Nico’s head. “Yes, Apollo tricked me. I was a fool to challenge him, though I knew my own strengths. We were evenly matched, and the Muses agreed. But Apollo would not stand for it and declared a second round. He played his lyre upside down. Apollo knew I could not do the same with my flute. I paid for my loss with my life.”

“Those were the rules? The loser dies?”

Marsyas scoffs, “No. The winner could do whatever he pleased to the loser. Apollo pleased to flay me alive.”

“Gods,” Nico says. He feels like he might throw up, or black out, he hasn’t decided yet.

“Indeed!” Marsyas says, throwing his arms up. “True savages. I have never met a more bloodthirsty man.” Marsyas stops suddenly. He asks, “Why are you asking me this? What business do you have with Apollo?”

Rachel swallows. Carefully, she says, “We are meant to subdue him. He is lashing out in anger and threatening —”

Marsyas’ expression grows dark, the shadows around him seem to settle in the valleys of his face. “Subdue him? Don’t bother! You mortals are no match, but I have waited long enough, I will do it!”

“You’re a ghost,” Nico manages to say. His vision is swimming. He can feel the shadows creeping in on him.

“No matter, I will prove who is better.”

“What, you’re going to beat him to death with your flute?” Nico’s pretty sure that’s what he says, but the words feel heavy in his mouth. He might not even have spoken. 

Marsyas moves forward, stepping over the hole and onto the stone patio. He comes within an inch of Nico’s face before Nico thinks to stop him. “No!" Nico yells. He tries to straighten up. Nico cuts towards the ghost’s legs with both arms, pushing outward with his mind at the same time. It takes all of Nico’s strength, but Marsyas falls back into the shadows, losing form. 

That’s the last thing Nico sees before he blacks out.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Nico dreams of home, and loss. 

Bianca is there, smiling at him. He’s not sure where they are, somewhere vaguely familiar in that way that most places are. It’s sunny and Bianca’s freckles are dark against her tan skin. 

Nico wants to stay here, with her. But there’s this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that tells him he can’t, he has something else to go back to. Bianca sees his expression and says, “It’s true. You’re wanted somewhere else.” Nico’s mind trips over that word, _wanted_.

The dream changes. 

Nico sees old buildings and narrow streets. The sky over New Orleans is a harsh pink, like bubblegum. Fire cuts across it, and Nico can’t tell if it’s real or just an illusion. It looks like hundreds of shooting stars burning their way across broad daylight. The city is just as deserted as Delphi, except the lack of people is somehow eerier. 

Nico had never been to Delphi before now, but he had spent a lot of time in New Orleans. He liked the feel of the old city, the way magic seemed to lurk in every corner and shadow. If he needed to get away, he usually picked the graveyards there. They had so many hiding places, Nico could get lost in them. But the city was always packed with people, no matter what time of day. Seeing it empty now, it felt like Nico were looking into an alternate world, one that had already met its end. 

Suddenly, Nico doesn’t want to be there. He knows he can’t go back to that scene with Bianca. His sister is gone. But Nico’s not sure where else to go. He feels trapped and panicked.

Nico had become quite familiar with dreams, and how to navigate them. But that sliver of control is gone, now. He forces himself to wake up.

 

Nico becomes aware of a warm, solid body behind him.

He panics. Nico pushes away from whoever is holding him, scrambling forward until they let go and his hands meet solid ground. It takes Nico a minute to recover. When he focuses, he’s on his knees on the patio. It’s still dark outside.

Will says, “Hey, Nico. It’s alright.” 

Nico looks at him. Will is sitting cross-legged on the stone a few feet away. The shadows around him make the dark spots under his eyes look bruised. Nico nods, but his heart is still hammering. “I blacked out.”

“Yeah,” Will says, “About an hour ago. I couldn’t carry you upstairs, so I stayed out here with you.” 

Nico thinks of solid warmth and that sunny place in his dream. His throat feels dry, but he manages to say, “Thanks.” 

Will just nods. He gets to his feet and offers Nico a hand up. Nico takes it. He’s unsteady on his feet, but he follows Will through the dark, back upstairs to their room.

Nico’s too tired to bother worrying about the sleeping arrangement. He doesn’t even protest when Will pulls his sword from his side, propping it up against the wall alongside Will's bow. Nico crawls into the double bed after Will, squishing Will in the middle between him and Rachel, who’s out cold. 

Nico drifts back into a restless sleep. Images and memories slip by him, but he can’t latch onto anything solid. At one point, he wakes up enough to roll over on the mattress. The dark room has grown lighter, but it’s still not day yet. Beside him, Will shifts and opens his eyes. 

Nico doesn’t know why, but he reaches out and touches Will’s arm. Will blinks at him.

Will shifts closer, leaving those last two inches between them. Nico’s not sure who closes the gap, but then they’re kissing. It’s soft and sleepy, just a barely-there press of lips before they pull away. 

Nico doesn’t have time to think about it, he’s already falling back asleep.

 

Nico wakes up to sunlight in his face. He rolls away from it, trying to bury into the sheets and pillow, but quiet voices are talking somewhere in the room, and he can’t tune them out.

When he sits up, he finds Rachel and Will sitting on the ground at the end of the bed. Rachel smiles at him. “Did you sleep good?”

Nico nods. He untangles himself from the sheets and joins them on the floor. Nico props himself up on the wall, stifling a yawn with his hand. There’s still that heaviness lingering in his limbs, like his blood has been replaced with mud and it’s sluggish in his veins. 

Will says, “Better have, you were out for two days.”

Nico looks at him, “Two days? Why didn’t you wake me?” 

Will shrugs. He looks exhausted. Nico’s not sure if it’s from being holed up inside, or a side effect of Apollo’s breakdown, but Will looks duller. Nico knows he looks just as bad, but he’s not used to seeing Will like this. Will’s tan has begun to fade, his curly hair looks limp and dirty. Will says, “You needed it.” His blue eyes look striking against the dark half-moons underneath them. 

Rachel nods in agreement, getting to her feet. She goes around the bed to retrieve their stolen backpack, bringing it over and settling back onto the floor. Out of it, Rachel hands Nico a bag of beef jerky. Nico tears it open and starts eating. Rachel rips open a package of cookies. She bites into one and says, “Will and I have been talking.” 

Nico looks back to Will. “You make a plan?”

Will almost smiles. “I think so.”

“That’s what you said two days ago,” Nico points out. “You know how we're gonna put down your dad?”

“Gods, Nico, we’re not killing him!” Nico rolls his eyes. Will ignores him. “But, yes. First we have to defeat Python.” 

“Okay. I kind of figured we’d have to, but why?” Nico asks, setting down his empty beef jerky bag. 

Rachel is on her third cookie. When Nico looks at her, she holds up the open package to offer him one. Nico takes two.

Will says, “Apollo is the god of prophecy—”

“Right,” Nico says, mouth full of cookie.

Will glares at him. “Since Python is guarding the Temple again, prophecy is blocked. I’m thinking we defeat Python, we get prophecy back. And if we get prophecy back, my father should, too.”

“You think his ability is blocked?” Nico hadn’t considered that Python’s return may have affected Apollo and not just his Oracle.

“It’s a safe bet. I’m not sure, but I’m hoping I’m right. If I am, that means that Apollo can’t see how this will end, for him or us. He’s still lashing out because he can’t see the negative consequences its having. So, if we defeat Python and get prophecy back, Apollo might see the ruin he’s causing and we can talk him into stopping.”

“That’s a really big if. You know that, right?” Will’s line of thinking makes sense to Nico, and obviously Rachel and Will had talked through it while Nico slept. But that didn’t mean it was foolproof, and they could be trading their lives if this bet didn’t pay off. 

Will nods. “I’m not an idiot, Nico. And I’m not under any illusions that my father will spare me if this doesn’t work. If we can’t talk him down, we’re going to die. Either he’ll kill us or his destruction will.”

“If we live that long. Python might kill us first.”

“Maybe,” Will agrees. He sounds completely resigned to this, and Nico can’t help but feel sorry. Will wasn’t meant to be here. Will was supposed to be safe, back at camp helping heal the injured, not fighting on the front lines. But Nico remembers what Will had said days ago, about Michael and Lee and wanting to help. Nico thinks about his own restless need to move, to fight, to do _something_ other than stand in place, and he thinks he understands. He and Will are the same in that way, both self-sacrificing idiots when it comes down to it.

On top of that, their odds aren’t pretty. Nico is drained from his necromancy stint the other night, and he knows without Will having to beat it into him that if he uses his powers again, he might not wake up after. Will has the bow Artemis gave him, but that won’t do him much good if he can’t manage to shoot it. And even if they succeed and unblock the Oracle, Rachel is still a mortal girl with no fighting experience. 

Nico knows that their odds of surviving this are low. But it doesn’t matter. They still have to try. He meets Will’s eyes and knows Will is thinking the same.

 

The Castilian Spring proves harder to find than they anticipate. 

The three of them agree that, based on the myths, the spring should be somewhere on the mountainside to the left of the sacred site of Delphi. But none of them are sure about it’s specific location. Nico suggests breaking into a tourist shop or the museum that sits at the bottom of the valley to find a map, but Will’s glare kills that option. 

The mountain provides no aid. From the town, the ruins of the sanctuary are laid out above them. As they approach, Nico takes in the view from the ground; the sight is more sad than what he’d seen nights before. The remains of at least a dozen buildings scatter themselves up the valley, in various states of ruin. Only the amphitheater, on it’s ledge above it all, remains in tact. 

Around the sanctuary, the valley is concealed in underbrush and trees. Any indication of where the spring might be is lost from the ground. Will picks a direction as they enter the woods, on the assumption that they’ll hit the rockface of the mountain eventually, and if they don’t find the spring in between here and there, they can shift their search area and try again. It’s a reasonable plan, but after over an hour of wandering, they still haven’t found any trace of water. 

Will stops dead and says, “It’s under the Phaedriades!” as if suddenly remembering.

Nico and Rachel stop to look at him. Nico says, “What?”

Will points through a gap in the trees to a spot on the mountain above them. At least a hundred degrees to their left, two cliff faces meet at a shining intersection. “The Phaedriades, that pair of cliffs up there. The spring is supposed to be directly underneath them.” 

Nico rolls his eyes, “Oh-kay. So we’ve been going in completely the wrong direction.” 

Will looks almost sheepish, but he doesn’t apologize. They correct their course and start again. 

After a bit, they come to a shallow ravine that cuts through the trees around them. Nico had seen scattered litter further back, but the ravine seems to have collected more trash than the rest of the woods. Nico takes it as a good sign, that people have been here, but Rachel scoffs in disgust, “How can people just throw stuff down like that?”

Will bends down to snatch a dented lighter out of the dirt. He clicks it, and it sparks. “People don’t care,” He shrugs, sparking the lighter again.

Rachel frowns, but doesn’t say anything else. They skirt the edge of the ravine and continue in the direction of the cliffs, eventually managing to find a deteriorated path several hundred feet further along. The path fades in and out as they follow it, overgrown from lack of use and time, and the ground grows steeper the closer they get to the spring. Several times, they lose the path entirely. Decent sized boulders lie among the trees, their rounded faces speaking of a history with water. 

The minutes fall behind them, but they keep going. Nico ignores the way his chest tightens with every step and the incessant clicking of the lighter in Will’s hand. Nico and Will may have their ADHD in common, but at least Nico knows how to control himself.

Will comes to a stop in front of them. A giant tree has fallen, blocking their path for twenty feet in either direction, broken and splintered over the rocks on both sides of the path. Will sparks the lighter again, and Rachel finally snaps. “Give me that!” She says, reaching over and taking it from him. It disappears into her pocket. Will frowns, flexing his hands as if he’s not sure of their purpose now. 

“What now?” Will asks.

Nico says, “We climb over it.” 

Will sighs, but hands over his bow to Rachel. After he struggles to the top, Will holds his hand out for it. Rachel passes the bow up, and Nico hands off his sword as well. Will tosses them to the ground on the other side of the tree. Nico tries very hard not to wince at the sound their impact makes. He glares at Will, but Will only leans down to offer him a hand. Nico takes it and pulls himself up, then together he and Will haul Rachel to the top of the tree. 

The three of them sit there, atop the rough, rotten bark and catch their breath. Nico swallows back the bitterness that’s gnawing at his teeth. 

The path doesn’t continue on the other side of the tree. Large, uneven rocks replace the dirt floor of the woods. Will is lucky his bow didn’t smash apart against them, but it lies, intact, alongside Nico’s sword a couple of feet from the tree. 

They scramble down the other side, earning torn clothes and cut skin in the process. Will replaces his bow on his shoulder, and Nico hooks his sword back at his hip. They start again, picking their way over the rocks. 

Finally, the cliffs come into full view. Under the harsh ivory sky, they gleam almost silver. Nico’s not sure if it’s natural or just a reflection of the auroras streaking overhead. The sun is nowhere to be seen. In its absence, the air feels wrong, like the mugginess of New Orleans, except all of the heat has been sucked out. It leaves the air around them empty and charged, raising the hair on Nico’s arms.

They stumble into the spring suddenly. Will steps down hard off the rocks as they exit the trees, splashing straight down into ankle-deep water. The noise is deafening in the surrounding stillness. He says, “Fuck,” and there’s pain laced in it.

Rachel steps carefully down after him, sloshing the water with her shoes. “Are you alright?” 

Will nods, “Probably twisted my ankle. I’m fine.” He grips the bow on his shoulder and looks around them. 

The pool they stand in isn’t large, but it takes up the entire clearing they’ve entered. It disappears between the rocks Nico stands on, presumably flowing down the valley below, into the ravine they’d followed up here. Nico knows that in ancient times it flowed further, through the sanctuary and into the Temple of Apollo.

In front of them, the Phaedriades rise upwards like giant silver shields. The Castilian Spring bubbles from a cleft at their base, pushing water to the surface of the pool in a slow gurgle. It’s the only movement in the entire clearing. 

The place is eerily quiet. The sound of birds in the trees and insects buzzing in the air is startling in it’s silence. The trees stand motionless around them. Even the water pooling around their ankles settles back into place behind them with barely a sound. It’s as if everything is aware of the monster that lurks here, and is desperate to stay unnoticed by it. 

Carved into the rockface of the cliffs are two rounded windows, one larger than the other, that open into a shallow recess in the mountainside. A low set of stone steps leads up to it from the pool. Another set disappears into the ferns on their left. Nico’s surprised by how little they’ve deteriorated over the centuries. 

“This is horrible,” Rachel says, anger coating her words. All around them, garbage and debris lie scattered. Some of it is obviously from other people, tourists that managed to hike up here in years past: plastic bottles and food wrappers are caught in the brush. Nico accidentally steps on an abandoned disposable camera in the dirt. It shatters under his foot. 

The rest looks odd and out of place in the middle of these ancient woods; a tire sits half submerged against the rocks at the right of the pool, there are scraps of metal and wood lying haphazardly around. The pool is clear and calm, but Nico knows that the rocks provide crevices for more debris to catch in, hidden from their eyes.

There’s something menacing in the overgrowth here. Nico wants to believe it’s Python’s presence, but if he had to name it, he would say the place itself is angry. He’s pretty sure no one lives here still, the nymph Castalia is long gone, but Nico can feel the impression of her. 

Rachel has waded further into the pool. She bends down to snatch up a wet wrapper off the rocks. Nico steps down from his spot, cringing as the water soaks into his shoes. “Rachel, we’re not here to clean up the woods.” 

Rachel ignores him. She moves over and picks up another piece of trash. Nico and Will meet eyes. Nico rolls his eyes at the smirk that pulls at Will’s lips, but that tightness in him seems to loosen a fraction. If he’s going to die, at least he has good company.

Aside from the three of them, the spring shows no sign of life. Nico and Will pick their way across the pool, careful to stay upright on the uneven rocks. Nico steps up to the windows, tracing his hand along their rough sills. Will stands on the stone steps at his back and watches him. He says, “Think we were wrong?”

Nico shrugs, “Not sure. This made sense, but—”

Nico whirls around as the ferns to their left move. An enormous brown serpent bursts through them, its scaled face hard with rage. Python looks like it’s namesake, except it has two enormous scaled arms that end in razor sharp claws, and its body is the length of a bus. Rachel screams. 

It fixes its eyes on her, hissing, and pulls itself forward on its claws, gouging the rocks as it goes. Its body slithers over the stone steps, splashing down into the water and pushing ripples across the pool to where Nico and Will stand, frozen. Nico comes back to himself in a moment. 

He draws his sword and yells, pulling the serpent’s attention away from Rachel. Unfortunately, it locks onto a closer target instead. It whips its tail around its enormous body to sweep Will off his feet. Nico watches in horror as Will’s body hits the rocks. After a heart-wrenching second, Will struggles up on his hands and moves out of the way of the second swipe of Python’s tail. 

Nico yells again, louder. He moves down the steps, splashing into the pool and trying to keep his footing. Will has managed to get back on his feet, but he’s lost his bow and Nico sees red staining his hoodie. Rachel wisely stays silent on the other side of the pool. 

Python hisses again. The sound reverberates against the rockface behind Nico like a jet engine. It moves towards him, and Nico doesn’t think about, he dives forward, cutting at it’s skin with his sword. The sword hits, but the scales plating the serpent provide sturdy protection. Nico manages a shallow slash above its arm, but then Python lifts the arm to lash at Nico. 

Nico backs away, but feels the sting of Python’s claws as they rake across his chest. He wants to scream, but he has to stay focused. Nico drives his sword in again, slashing against Python’s scales. The cuts he make leak gold, not red, and Nico knows this is a losing battle. 

He slashes again, only seeming to anger the serpent more. Python matches his attacks with claws and fangs, lunging at Nico and trapping him against the rocks. The serpent strikes. Nico sinks his sword into the wet flesh of Python’s mouth. The sword bends like heated plastic against Python’s fang, coming out mangled.

That’s when Will yells, “Hey, stupid!” 

Like an idiot, Nico looks at him. Thankfully, Python does too. 

The serpent backs away from Nico, and Nico slides down the rock into the water, letting go of his ruined sword. From the ground, he watches Will stumble over the rocks, slipping and catching himself over and over as he dodges Python’s advances. 

It’s a miracle he keeps it up at all, but it doesn’t last long. Will misjudges his footing and goes down on his hands. Python strikes at him, sinking its fangs into Will’s side with a noise that makes Nico want to vomit. It picks Will up and tosses him like a ragdoll. Where Will lands, he doesn’t move. 

Nico feels his throat close up. He struggles to his feet and gets to Will’s side, pushing him over to get his face out of the water. Will is soaked and bloody, his hoodie ripped to shreds around the wounds on his side. Nico grips his throat and feels a pulse.

Python has followed their movement, but it stops in its pursuit of them. An arrow sticks out of its flank. Behind it, Rachel stands with Will’s bow in her hands, nocking another arrow. She screams, loud and shrill, and Python turns on her. 

Nico uses the distraction to drag Will to the edge of the pool, towards the steps where Python had emerged from the woods. He props Will against them and leans over him, rechecking his pulse. He pulls up his hoodie to see the damage, muttering, “Gods, you’re an idiot.” 

“I know,” Will says. Nico startles, hands freezing against the clammy skin of Will’s stomach. Will’s eyes are pale blue slits, but he’s awake and he’s watching Nico with a sharp alertness. Relief floods through Nico.

“You have to stay conscious,” Nico tells him, turning to check on Rachel.

“I know,” Will says, again. Apparently nearly dying makes him less argumentative. 

Rachel is still yelling, keeping Python’s attention solely on her. She’s managed to hit Python several times, carelessly aimed arrows line the serpents body, but she’s missing as many as she’s hitting. Arrows float around them in the water, and Nico watches as Rachel overshoots another, sending it flying past Python’s head into the trees. 

Rachel meets Nico’s eyes through the gap of Python’s arm and body. She yells, “Distract it!”

Nico does. He gets to his feet again, pressing a hand against Will’s chest as he goes, a silent order to _stay_. Nico struggles back across the pool towards the serpent. He yells, making Python turn towards him. He hopes Rachel has a plan. 

She does. Rachel tosses him the bow, and Nico catches it, scooping the magic bag of arrows out of the water where it lands at his feet. Nico’s not great at archery, and the stress of his impending death makes his hands shake, but he gets an arrow nocked. He doesn’t hesitate. He fires.

He misses, but the shot still succeeds in drawing Python’s rage. Nico stumbles backwards, losing his footing, but managing to stay upright. Nocking another arrow, he pulls back to fire. Python strikes at him, and he retreats, losing tension on the string. Quickly, he recovers, pulling back again and firing. This time, he hits Python in its neck. The arrow embeds there, tearing at scales and drawing more ichor from the beast.

Nico keeps going, moving carelessly over the rocks and shooting arrow after arrow at the serpent. Python rakes its claws at Nico’s leg, and Nico goes down hard. He loses his grip on the bow. It lands several feet away, and drifts out of reach across the water’s surface. 

It doesn’t matter. Python hovers over him, fangs bared. Nico knows he’s about to die. 

He thinks maybe this is alright. It’s going to be painful, but at least he’s fighting for something that matters. He hopes Rachel will pull through with whatever she’s doing across the pool and manage to save herself and Will. Nico wants them to make it out of this alive, even if he can’t.

Python strikes at him, but Nico manages to slide sideways across the rocks, cutting through the water and rolling to his knees. Behind him, Rachel yells, “Get it to the cliff!” 

Nico is exhausted. The gashes on his chest sting with every move he makes, his knees and palms are scraped from the tree and the rocks. He doesn’t bother getting to his feet. Nico drags himself over the rocks towards the cliff face. 

He scrambles, pulling himself forward with his bloody hands. Python follows, quickly overtaking Nico, but Nico has gotten it where Rachel wants it. Rachel says, “Nico, get out of there!” 

Nico listens. He dives away from Python’s mouth, hitting his shoulder hard against the ground. He keeps going. Nico manages to get around the serpent’s body, smaller and faster than it, and made quicker by desperation.

Before Python can chase him, Rachel screams, “Hey, ugly!” 

She moves to Nico’s side, only feet from the monster. In her hand, Rachel holds the bottle of nectar Artemis gave them. A torn strip of purple cloth hangs from the bottle’s neck. Rachel holds up the lighter she’d taken from Will and sets the cloth on fire. Then she throws the bottle.

It shatters against the rocks above Python’s head, and for one sinking moment Nico thinks it’s wasted. Nothing happens. 

Then, flame erupts behind Python. It licks its way across the rocks, latching onto the serpent and coating it’s scales in fire. Nico and Rachel quickly back away as Python reacts, hissing and screeching in pain. The fire seems to burn so hot and fast, Nico’s not sure even the water under the monster’s feet could put it out.

Python rears back against the flame, throwing itself against the cliff face. The action sends a shock through the earth around them. The entire mountain seems to shift. Nico watches in amazement as a piece of the Phaedriades breaks off, hurtling down and landing with a resounding smash on top of Python. 

The serpent doesn’t move as the fire burns through it. Golden ichor flows from the corpse, spreading through the shallow pool towards them. After another minute, the fire burns up, leaving no trace of the monster it consumed.

“You killed Python,” Nico says, turning to Rachel, “With a Molotov cocktail.”

Rachel is staring at the place where Python had been. “I panicked,” She says, then laughs. 

Nico laughs too. It sounds delirious, even to him, but he doesn’t care. They’re alive. He’s injured, and so is Will, but—Gods, Will. 

Nico takes Rachel by the arm and drags her over to where Will is lying. He looks worse now that Nico’s not holding back an impending panic attack. Will’s breathing, but his eyes are closed. Where Nico had pulled up Will’s shirt, the gashes from Python’s fangs are on full display. Bright red blood sinks into the water at Will’s side. Rachel sucks in a sharp breath beside Nico at the sight. 

They get to their knees in the water. Rachel pulls the backpack off her shoulders and digs out the ambrosia. Nico unwraps it with shaking hands, and forces some into Will’s mouth. It takes some coaxing, but he gets Will to swallow. Nico feeds him another piece. Finally, Will opens his eyes and looks blearily at Nico and Rachel.

He says, “Did we win?”

Nico wants to cry. Rachel laughs again, relief flooding the sound. She says, “Yeah, we won.” Nico can hear the tears in her voice.

Will nods, and tries to sit up. He immediately slumps over in pain, but Nico catches him. “Stop it,” Nico scolds and pushes him back down. 

Will glares at him, and mumbles something that sounds like, “ _How ironic_.” Nico ignores him. He gets another piece of ambrosia into Will’s mouth before Will shoves his hand away. Already, the bite marks on Will’s stomach have begun knitting themselves back together. 

Nico sits back on his knees. He remembers his own injuries and swallows back the last piece of ambrosia. He doesn’t think about the taste then, but later, he’ll remember that it tasted like stolen pastries and beef jerky. 

When his wounds have fully closed, Will sits up again. The three of them sit in silence in the still water.

Finally, Rachel says, “Before we leave, we’re picking up all this trash.”

Nico and Will both say, “Absolutely not,” at the same time.

 

“Do you think it was Apollo?” Will asks later. 

They’ve stopped to rest at the edge of the ravine. Ambrosia might heal flesh wounds, but now that their adrenaline has worn off, the exhaustion is setting in. 

Nico and Rachel had recounted to Will how they’d defeated Python in a tag-team fashion, but neither of them could explain where the falling rocks had come from. Nico says, “Maybe. Or Artemis. It had to be a God. Python bled ichor.”

Will winces, “I should have considered that. I’m sorry, I walked us into a death trap.” Will touches his side absentmindedly, his fingers finding skin where his hoodie is torn. He’s covered in dirt and blood. 

“Yeah, well. We’re not dead,” Nico points out. His own shirt is slashed at the front.

Rachel doesn’t look much better. The hem of her shirt is torn where she’d ripped it to make the firebomb. She’d managed to avoid gut wounds, but she’d had a close call with Python’s claws on her arm. Will had cleaned the cuts with the spring water and put bandages over them, but Rachel couldn’t eat ambrosia as a mortal. 

“Yeah, who knew nectar was flammable?” Will says, and Nico can’t tell if he’s joking.

“Everyone,” Nico responds drily. “It burns you up inside if you drink too much.”

Will frowns, “That’s not literal—” 

“Guys,” Rachel cuts him off. “Will’s right.”

Will says,“I told you,” looking smugly at Nico.

Rachel holds up her hands between them. “No, not about the nectar. I didn’t know it was flammable. That was a lucky guess. I meant about the rocks, it was Apollo.”

“How do you know?” Will asks, but Nico is watching Rachel. 

There’s something about her that had been missing without the Oracle, an air of confidence and surety that held her spine straighter, cast her voice further. It’s back now. “The Oracle’s back,” Nico answers.

Rachel nods, “I can feel it. I’m seeing—flashes. Nothing big, but still.” 

Will looks relieved. He asks, “Can you see how we’re gonna put down my dad?”

Nico snorts, quickly covering the sound with his hand. Will grins at him. This newfound lightness between them feels weird, but Nico doesn’t hate it.

Rachel rolls her eyes at them. “No, but I think I know where to find him.”

“We should wait until dark,” Will says, looking down into the ravine.

Nico asks, “You think that’s a good idea, fighting a god in the dark?”

Will kicks at the wall their legs hang over. Clumps of loose dirt break off, tumbling down the wall to settle at the bottom of the ravine. “We’re not fighting him. And no, but he’s weaker at night.”

“So are you,” Nico counters. 

Will shrugs. “It won’t matter. We don’t stand a chance against him if it turns into a fight.”

Nico can’t argue with that. He doesn’t want to think about it, so he changes the subject. He turns to Rachel and asks, “Where’d you learn to shoot a bow?” 

Rachel smiles, small and unhappy. “My parents put me in about a dozen summer camps as a kid. I got kicked out of some, but they always found more to put me in. I hated it, but I learned some useful skills: archery, horseback riding, gambling.” 

Will laughs, but a thought occurs to Nico. “Kind of ironic you ended up at Camp Half-Blood, then.” 

“Kind of,” Rachel agrees. 

Except it isn’t. Nico thinks about what Rachel said to him the other night, about living for herself, now. She chose Camp. She chose them, these half-bloods and their bloody lives. She chose this life and all of the battles that come with it when she took on the spirit of the Oracle. 

Nico wonders what that feels like, to be so sure of something you would trade everything for it. He’d wondered the same thing when Bianca had joined the Hunters. 

Nico has spent his life running from the only sure things he’s ever known: his past, his sister’s death, himself. And for what? Where had it gotten him? Nico had been left with nothing and no one to turn to when he’d needed it. Percy and the others on the Argo had saved him in Rome, but only out of a sense of obligation and because he was necessary for their quest. If that hadn’t been the case, would he even be here right now?

Will is right. Nico can’t keep running and expect to find peace that way. He has to stop. He has to let himself start something real for once. 

“I’m sorry about your sword,” Rachel says, pulling Nico back to the moment. 

Nico had left his sword behind at the spring, knowing it was unsalvageable. It’s absence feels like a phantom limb, he can picture the weight of it on his belt. He has to push down the urge to reach for what’s gone, as always. “Yeah,” Nico says. He looks to Will and says, “I’m sorry about your bow,” just to brush the pity off on someone else.

Will shrugs, “I don’t think Artemis wanted me to keep it.” They’d searched the water before leaving the spring, but the bow and the pouch of arrows had vanished alongside Python's body. 

“Probably didn’t want you using it against Apollo,” Rachel says. 

Will nods in agreement, but says, “Actually, I don’t think the bow was meant for me.”

Rachel looks puzzled, then pleased. “Me?”

“It makes sense, Artemis only likes girls,” Nico says.

Rachel says, “Yeah, but she gave the bow to Will.”

“Doesn’t mean anything. She knew you’d end up with it. She probably just wanted to give Will a false sense of security.” That earns Nico a choked off laugh from Rachel and a glare from Will, but Nico can see the mirth in his eyes. 

It feels good, this easy back and forth. It takes the weight off of Nico’s shoulders, even if just for a moment. He doesn’t think about the past, or the future. Only what’s here, right now.

 

They make it out of the woods by nightfall, except it’s impossible to tell an exact time. 

The sky is the color of fractured ice. It’s less a distinct color and more the lack of one, hanging open and empty above their heads like a massive window looking out at absolutely nothing. There’s nothing above them; the moon, the stars, even the auroras, are missing. The sight unnerves Nico.

Will stops in the middle of the deserted highway and looks up. He says, “Apollo knows we’re coming.”

Nico’s not sure that’s a good thing, but, “That’s what you wanted.” 

Will nods, but Nico can see his certainty slipping. Nico had been wrong, thinking this golden boy was untouchable; Will carries just as much weight around as Nico, and he’s just as good as hiding it. But now that vulnerability is peaking through, and Nico likes Will better for it. 

“I don’t really have a plan for this,” Will admits. “I know how to start arguments —”

Nico agrees, “You’re great at it.”

Will rolls his eyes, but it’s half-hearted. “Yeah, but I’m not good at winning them.”

Rachel’s pulled her hair up into a ponytail, but it’s doing it’s best to break free of the rubberband she’s restrained it with. “Maybe we don’t have to win.” At Nico and Will’s lost expressions, she explains, “When I’m angry, the last thing I want is for someone to tell me not to be angry. Or that I shouldn’t be. If we do that, Apollo will never stop. We have to reason with him, and to do that, we can’t win the argument. It can’t _be_ an argument. If we turn it into an argument, we’re going to lose.”

“So what do we do? We can’t fight him,” Nico says.

“No. We have to agree with him, that all of this,” Rachel throws her arms up as if to encompass the whole world, “Is justified. We have to meet him halfway.”

Nico says, “Like Icarus.” He’s back in Daedalus’ workshop, watching a scene unfold from forever ago. He can hear the inventor’s warning ringing in his ears, _fly the middle course._ Nico’s not sure why he’s thinking of this now, but it seems fitting. 

Will stares blankly at him. Rachel had been there with Nico when he’d met Daedalus. She gives him an odd look, as if she’s not sure why he’s bringing the old inventor up now. Nico says, “The story of Icarus. His father warns him not to fly too close to the sun. Icarus doesn’t listen. He dies.”

Will says, “We know the story, Nico. Why is it important? 

Nico shrugs, “We have to find the middle course. With Apollo.” 

Rachel nods, “Right. Like a middle ground. Let Apollo know we see his point, and get him to see ours.”

“And what’s our point?” Will asks, still looking lost.

“Oh, Mr. Sun God, can you please stop destroying everything?” Nico says, in a truly terrible impression of Will. Will reaches out to smack Nico’s arm, but Nico side-steps his swing, laughing. Will and Rachel laugh too, and for a moment it doesn’t feel like the world is ending around them.

Rachel manages to say, “Exactly,” in a breath between giggles. “Apollo’s justified in his anger, but continuing to lash out would be bad for us.”

“And him,” Nico adds. “If he destroys us, there’ll be no one left to worship him.”

“You want to appeal to his pride? That’s what started this mess in the first place,” Will points out.

Nico sees Octavian when he closes his eyes, flung to his death in a blaze of fire and smoke. He forces a shrug, “I’m just saying. But it might come to that.”

Will accepts that. “How do we get him to see our point though? He has no reason to care.” _About me._ Will doesn’t say it, but Nico hears the implication anyway.

“You’re his son,” Nico says, “Rachel’s his Oracle. He has reasons to care, it’s just a matter of if he’ll choose to or not.”

“And if he doesn’t?” 

Nico wants to say that it won’t matter what Apollo chooses. If he dies at the hands of a bitter god, he’s at least glad it will be beside Rachel and Will, of all people. When he’d landed on his knees at the temple ruins nights before, the last thing he thought he’d be grateful for now was their company. He’d been thankful to Hades that he wasn’t made to do this by himself, but it was more than that now. It was this newfound understanding between the three of them, the quiet reassurance that they gave Nico. He wants to tell them all of this, and more. 

He wants to tell Will that he deserves the happiness he tries to give everyone else. He wants to tell Rachel that she made the right choice, choosing them. But the words feel like lead in his throat.

What he says is, “We still have to try.” 

 

According to Rachel, Apollo is in Delphi.

That’s good news for them, considering they have no money and no means to get out of town, and even if they did, the entire world is in hiding, so the airplanes are probably all grounded. 

Will protests when Nico suggests they find something to eat first, and Nico wants to hit him. When Will sarcastically asks how Hades will judge their souls when they die later, Nico does hit him. “Hades isn’t even responsible for judging souls,” Nico argues. Will rolls his eyes.

They find a bistro at the edge of town and Rachel gets them inside with her bobby pin. The power is still out, so they have to fumble in the dark for a few minutes until Nico finds candles behind the bar area. Rachel comes back from the office with a box of matches in her hand. Together they light the candles, setting them out on the countertop in the kitchen. 

Will watches them with his arms crossed, but as Nico and Rachel begin pulling food out of the cabinets and cold storage, he comes over to help. “Think this is still edible?” Nico asks, holding up a package of deli meat.

Will says, “Might as well eat it, we’re going to die before the food poisoning sets in.”

Rachel sighs from across the prep table. From what Nico can see, she seems to be methodically separating condiment bottles by color. “Would you stop talking about dying? It’s not good for morale.”

“I’m using my sense of humor to deal with stress,” Will defends.

“Oh, is that what that is? I wasn’t sure you had one,” Nico says, setting the lunch meat aside. He reaches up and pulls down several loaves of bread from a shelf over the counter, then goes over to the prep table to take the peanut butter and jelly from Rachel’s collection.

Will leans against the counter next to him as he assembles his sandwich. “Wanna make me one?” Will asks. 

Nico rolls his eyes, but he makes another sandwich for Will, then a third for Rachel on gluten free bread. Nico wonders what sort of food this place normally serves. He hands Will his sandwich on a napkin and says, “A one way ticket to the Fields of Punishment.” 

Will looks kind of shocked, but Rachel snorts, loud and ugly. “Oh man, nice,” She says, taking a bite. 

“Oh, I see. Nico’s funny, and I’m not,” Will says, frowning stupidly at his sandwich.

Nico says, “Glad we’re all on the same page now.”

Will huffs. He bumps his shoulder against Nico’s. Nico pushes him away and Will laughs. Nico really doesn’t hate it.

 

Rachel describes the setting: a grassy, open meadow on the mountainside, wildflowers scattered under the wide open sky. Nico knows they could spend the rest of their lives searching Mount Parnassus for it, but it only takes them most of the night.

They use the same strategy they’d used that morning to find the Castalian Spring; choose a starting point—Will argues that it should be the sanctuary, since that’s where this all started for them, it would make sense that everything since that has been leading them back to there, and Nico and Rachel agree—,then pick a direction, and hope for the best. 

The sanctuary is quiet and dark by the time they reach it. On the hill far above the amphitheater they find the stadium. “They held the Pythian games here,” Will tells them.

“Like a mini-Olympics?” Rachel asks, looking down the length of the stadium. It runs at least 500 feet against the mountain, with stands carved into the rockface. 

Will nods, “Yeah, but for Apollo. So they had the regular sports contests, but they had a music contest too.”

“Good thing we don’t have to do that, you’d lose,” Nico says, looking at Will. Will just shakes his head.

Nico turns to look down at the valley one last time. It’s too dark to make out anything real, and a thick haze has settled over the town, smothering it all into something barely distinguishable, but Nico can imagine the details; he thinks he can see the Delphi Palace, with its blue tiled roof and stark white walls, set along the narrow, silent streets of the town. The highway they’d walked over again and again snakes its way towards the black sea. The columns of the temple rise below him, small and insignificant from this height. 

Nico turns to pick through the shadows hanging over the woods beside the sanctuary. The Phaedriades stand solemn on the mountain above them, dull now without the sun. Nico thinks he can see the impression of the ravine beneath the treeline. 

Standing there, Nico knows he will never be able to rid himself of this place; this feeling will linger, as will this image, like an imprint pressed behind his sore eyes. It’s a bittersweet knowledge. This place has given him as much as it has taken. But there is a tightness in his chest at the thought of leaving. 

Will and Rachel stand at his side and look too. They don’t say anything, but they don’t have to. Nico thinks again of the feeling that had pulled at him, standing on their hotel room balcony and looking at the reverse of what he sees now. A quiet regret for what hasn’t been lost yet. Nico’s not sure if it’s a side effect of his fucked up psyche, or just a normal sentimentality. He wouldn’t know, he doesn’t talk to people. 

But Nico could talk about this, if he makes it through what comes next. Nico can talk about what’s happened here, because he has people to talk about it with. Maybe that’s why everything else is so hard to voice, Nico hadn’t shared those things with anyone. He had done them alone and carried the memory of them alone.

Rachel reaches for his hand and Nico lets her take it. She squeezes, as if reading his thoughts. _Not this time._ Nico’s chest feels tight, but it’s not the familiar pressure of fear, or anger, or bitterness. It grips him just the same, but there’s a lightness about it. Nico thinks its love.

They pick their way up the mountainside, slow in the dark. None of them had thought to bring a flashlight. Nico has some choice words lined up in his mind for his father after this is over. It won’t matter if Nico lives or dies, Hades will have to face him either way. 

As they walk, wildflowers are everywhere under their feet, like gnats circling in the summer. Rachel marches them past a half dozen flower swarmed meadows with barely a second glance. Nico’s pretty sure she’s leading them on gut feeling alone, but he trusts her. 

They come to an impasse after several hours. In front of them, the mountain cuts straight up in a smooth wall of rock. “Left or right?” Rachel asks, punctuating both options with her hand. 

The options are barely discernible in the dark. To their right, the ground stays level, curving along the rockface to disappear around the edge. From what Nico can make out, it’s dirt and trees and not much else. To their left, the ground grows steadily narrower, a thin dirt path that climbs up the rock and trails off into black.

Nico says, “You’re the one that’s leading.”

Rachel shakes her head. “I’m not sure on this one, I didn’t see this.” She sounds exceptionally calm given the situation, as if they’re just deciding between two directions at a T in the road on a leisurely day drive, and not hiking their way up a mountain in Greece in the middle of the night. “Will?” Rachel says, looking to him.

Will’s face is unreadable. He shakes his head, “No.”

Rachel frowns. Nico asks, “No?”

“Yeah, no. I’m not leading on this one. I’ve been leading for years with no idea what I’m doing. I don’t want to, not for this.” Nico wishes Will wouldn’t choose such unfortunate times to make his points, but Nico understands what he’s saying. If Will makes the wrong choice here, and one of them gets hurt as a result, Will wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

Nico takes the burden, “Left.” 

Rachel nods and they begin again. Will falls in beside Nico. When Nico looks at him, Will gives him a grateful smile. 

Nico has this unexcusable urge to touch him. He wants to reach down and take Will’s hand, squeeze it the way Rachel had squeezed his earlier. Nico hadn’t paid much attention to it, but the air between him and Will had changed over the last few days. Before it had felt charged. Nico was sure he could strike a match and they’d both have gone down in flames. But the feeling had shifted, softened. It seemed less volatile now. Nico wants to sink into it, just as much as he wants to block it out. Nico returns Will's smile, but keeps his hands to himself.

The direction Nico chose dissolves into a narrow dirt path after a bit, walled in on one side by the rock, the other side dropping off into empty space. The town of Delphi is a meaningless smudge hundreds of feet below. The height leaves Nico nauseous, the same way falling and flying had on his quest with the Athena Parthenos. The memory pulls a thought to his mind. “Pegasus lives here,” He says. This mountain was the winged horse’s home in the myths. Nico’s not sure where he learned that, probably a Mythomagic card. 

“Think he’ll give us a ride?” Will asks, then brings a hand up to stifle a yawn.

“No. He didn’t seem like much of a people-person,” Nico says, then corrects himself, "People-horse.”

In front of him, Rachel says, “Right, you met him. Was he nice? Did you talk to him? I always loved horses.”

“I can’t talk to horses,” Nico says. 

“Just dead people,” Will says helpfully. Nico doesn’t point out that everyone can talk to dead people. Will asks, “Can you talk to dead horses?" 

Nico's pretty sure Will is just fucking with him, but he says, "Horses’ souls don't go to the Underworld, so no.” Nico can’t believe he’s having this conversation. His life is a joke. It would probably be funny if it weren’t so pathetic.

Rachel says, “Bummer." 

Nico comes to a halt in the dirt. The night has softened around them. The darkness has been replaced with a faint glow, lighting the shadows enough to form shapes. It’s not the natural glow that hints at sunrise. This is something more focused, more sinister. Nico narrows it to its source; far ahead of them, something, or someone, illuminates the path.

Will has stopped to watch Nico. Nico says, “You see it too?”

Will’s face is dark in the backlight. His curls fall around his face, discolored gold under the glow. Will frowns, but says, “Yeah.”

Rachel had kept walking when they’d stopped. She waits now, a dozen feet ahead, until they catch up to her. As they approach, the light grows steadily brighter, until the air around them is crushed velvet, a diluted rose-tint peppered in shadow. A subtle fear settles in Nico, the same feeling he’d gotten looking at New Orleans with its bubblegum sky in his dreams. Nico’s sure he can make out the particles in the air around them, see the light refracting off of each in turn. 

They come to a stop at the end of the path. They’ve circled halfway around the mountain in their climb. Nico knows if he were to look back now, Delphi would be gone.

The dirt beneath their shoes gives way to low grass as the meadow takes over. Wildflowers cover the field, excessive and overgrown. They are crushed beneath their feet as the three of them walk towards Apollo.

The fallen god stands at the center of the meadow, back turned to their approach. In the stillness, Apollo could have been nothing more than stone if it weren’t for the steady tick of his fingers at his side, as if itching to pull a chord on an instrument he doesn’t hold. Or a trigger.

Apollo doesn’t move when they stop behind him. Will says, “Apollo. Father.” The god turns to face them, the movement stilted and slow. 

Nico feels like he’s looking at a photograph someone has removed the saturation from. Apollo’s molten-gold eyes are drained of color, pale in the surrounding glow. There’s a maniacal look in them, as if he’d been startled awake and isn’t fully present in this moment. A wilted laurel wreath rests over his brow, ashen curls of hair caught among the leaves. Apollo’s chiton is supple gold, but the fabric is tainted and soiled in dirty streaks. His feet are bare where he stands in the grass.

Nico has never seen a god so discomposed. Apollo’s agitation sets him on edge. Without thinking, Nico reaches for a sword he no longer has. 

Apollo catches the movement. “Don’t bother,” He says, voice empty of emotion. “You can’t stop me.” 

Rachel says, “We’re not here to stop you.” 

A blatant lie, and the god knows it. Apollo sighs, still dramatic even in his own self-destruction. He reaches over his shoulder and pulls a sword out of thin air. The three of them scramble back as the shining blade cuts toward them, but Apollo doesn’t attack. He drives the sword straight down into the earth, sinking it halfway to its hilt. 

The ground shakes beneath them, and Nico stumbles. A piercing sound rings around the meadow, ripping through the air in shockwaves that pound through Nico’s skull. They’d been right; Apollo still has his powers, but there is nothing beautiful or healing about this side of him. 

“It’s hopeless! There’s no point!” Apollo yells, hands white where he grips the sword hilt. The noise around them seems to double, a shrill whine underscored by a pounding note. Nico thinks if anger could be contained in a sound, it would be this. “May as well let me kill you!” Apollo screams. 

“You can’t, you’ll only prove Zeus right!” Will shouts back. Distance had blossomed between them as they’d stumbled over the shaking ground, so that now Rachel and Will were out of Nico’s reach. 

A bitter sound rips out of Apollo’s throat. “Good,” He says. 

The mountain erupts around them. 

From the edges of the meadow, animals and monsters appear. Wolves and deer emerge from the shadows, their coats in tatters and their eyes hungry. At their feet, mice and snakes cut through the grass towards the three of them. The sight of so many animals, predator and prey side by side to attack them, sends a chill down Nico's spine. Nico hears the screech of birds above the sound, and seconds later they appear in wings and talons. A larger shape dives among them. Nico has time to recognize the gryphon before the animals overtake them.

Nico hears Rachel scream, but he’s already on his knees. The deer’s antlers miss his head by an inch. Nico rolls to the side, keeping his body low and hopefully out of reach. As he goes, he bats away swarms of mice, ignoring the sting of their teeth on his skin. Once hit, the rodents don’t return to try again, disappearing into the grass around him. Either Apollo’s control over them isn’t as strong as it seems, or they serve their purpose in biting him. Great, Nico thinks, he’s probably infected with plague now. 

Nico pushes himself up on bloody palms. Two dozen feet away, Will is crouched over Rachel. Rachel is curled up in the grass, not moving, and Nico can’t tell if she’s injured, or even alive. From his knees, he watches as a wolf lunges at Will. “No!” Nico screams. It crushes Will to the dirt, and Will’s body disappears beneath limbs and fur.

Nico has double vision. He sees Will go down, here, and against the stone floor of the amphitheater so many nights ago. Nico is really beginning to hate wolves.

This is hopeless. Nico knows they’re going to die if Apollo doesn’t stop. 

He closes his eyes and concentrates on the ground beneath them. The shaking moves up his arms, until he’s left on his hands and knees, trembling. Around him, the ground erupts again. The dead pull their way to the surface with rotted hands. “Protect them!” He orders, focusing everything on where Will and Rachel lie. 

The undead warriors respond. They charge forward, rusted weapons drawn, and slice through the wolves surrounding Nico’s friends. The wolves hit the dirt in pieces. Their scared cries cause the deer to startle and flee, their fear enough to pull them out of Apollo’s control. An undead warrior with a bow shoots birds out of the air, one after another. Like the deer, some of the birds retreat at the threat of death.

Nico had managed to save Rachel and Will, but he’d forgotten to defend himself. Claws rip into his back and he screams. The undead warriors crumble back to earth as Nico falls. 

His body hits the ground hard, but the gryphon doesn’t relent. It grips Nico’s shoulder in its beak, piercing flesh and bone, and throws him. Nico lands on his back. He’s aware of the uncomfortable sensation of the grass and dirt crusting the blood over his wounds. The gryphon pounces again, beak open to close tight around Nico’s throat. A fatal grip.

Nico sees a flash of gold. The gryphon lands in the dirt beside him. It’s red eyes stare unblinking at stamped wildflowers. It doesn’t move. 

Will grips Nico’s shoulders and hauls him to his feet. Pain floods through Nico, white hot and too much. Nico slumps against Will, but Will catches him, pressing Nico to his side. Will’s face is badly scratched. Blood runs from a wound on his head, making his blond hair rust. Rachel moves to Nico’s other side. She’s limping. She gets an arm under Nico’s and helps Will support him. The fabric of her t-shirt clings to Nico’s raw shoulder.

Apollo stands solemn, watching them. 

Between them, the gryphon's body melts in a shower of gold dust. It scatters in the breeze before dissolving completely. Will throws down Apollo’s golden sword in its place. It lands in the dirt with a dull thud. “You don’t want this,” Will tells his father.

Apollo shrugs, apparently indifferent. The noise around them hasn’t ceased. It grows louder now, into a resounding chorus that makes Nico want to curl up and surrender. The light flung around Apollo brightens to blinding. Heat sears against their skin. It rolls off of Apollo in waves, angry and incessicent. Nico wishes he had Piper's charmspeak or Leo's immunity to fire, anything that might be useful against a god. A lot of good that did for Leo, though.

The ground rolls beneath them. “Stop,” Will says. “Please.” Pressed against his side, Nico can barely hear him.

The sound stops. The silence that replaces it feels thick enough to choke. The earth settles, but the heat doesn’t. It presses on them, burning Nico’s skin and stinging his eyes.

Apollo says, “Make me.” His voice is empty. This is as close as a god will ever come to begging. Nico wonders what it must be like, wanting to end everything, yet knowing you would still remain after.

“We can’t, and we won’t,” Will says.

“Then why are you here?” 

“To talk.” That’s it. They’re betting everything—their lives, their future, the entire world—on the small hope that Apollo, unreasonable and unconcerned, will listen to them.

Apollo looks suspicious. This is in his hands now. He folds his arms over his chest, but says, “So talk.”

Nico can feel the sweat soaking through their clothes where the three of them are pressed together, keeping Nico on his feet. He presses his forehead to Will’s shoulder and closes his eyes. Pain slams down his spine with every breath he takes. Rachel says, “We’re not here to argue with you.”

“But you are here to stop me,” Apollo says, challenging. 

“We—. Yes,” Rachel falters. Her hand tightens in Nico’s shirt. She clears her throat and says, “We would like you to stop. But we understand why you’re doing this.”

Apollo’s smile is sharper than his sword. “What do you understand, foolish girl? You understand nothing.”

Nico feels Rachel’s flinch straight down his side. He hears his father’s voice in his mind.

_‘He is threatening ruin in the wake of his own anger and bitterness. You understand this.’_

Nico does. He understands why he’s here now. Nico is the linchpin to this entire quest. He just hopes he can manage to stay alive long enough to fix this.

“No,” Nico speaks up, turning his face from Will’s shoulder. Apollo looks at him. “I understand you. I know how you feel. I’m a child of Hades. I know what it’s like to be angry, and bitter. To let that fuel you. You’re not special.” Apollo narrows his eyes, but Nico keeps talking. “I know what it’s like to hold a grudge and let it bury you. But if you do that, you’re not just destroying all of us. You’ll destroy yourself too.” 

Nico doesn’t let his voice waver, but he knows the tears stinging at his eyes are from more than just the intensity of Apollo’s fury. He’s opened himself up more in the past few days than ever before in his life, and the action leaves him feeling stripped and bare. The vulnerability is new and uncomfortable, but Nico accepts it as necessary. He had been running from these things for too long. It’s time to stop.

Will picks up the thread Nico tugged at. “You’re not wrong to be angry at Zeus. You don’t deserve what he’s done to you. But Nico’s right. If you keep this going, it’s going to end in ruin.” 

“And nothing will have changed. You’ll still be here. Angry. Bitter. Alone. It won’t fix anything. I learned to let go of my anger, to use it instead of letting it destroy me. You need to do the same,” Nico finishes. He’s surprised he’s still coherent. He’s pretty sure he’s shaking. Will grips him tighter. 

Apollo looks at them; at his son’s arm around Nico, half-dead and slipping further, at the host of his Oracle, injured, but steadfast. Finally, Apollo speaks. “You have a point. But if I relent, I am admitting defeat.” 

“So don’t relent,” Rachel offers, and Nico thinks for a moment she’s going to say, _nevermind, go ahead and kill us! It’ll be less trouble than this conversation,_ But she says, “Just change your method. You’re angry at Zeus because he’s punishing you. It’s not fair, you’re being blamed for something that was out of your control.” Not exactly true, but Nico suspects Rachel is appealing to Apollo’s ego as much as she is trying to reason with him at this point. “And you have every right to be angry. But lashing out against mortals isn’t going to help you in the long run. Zeus won’t care. It will only make him angrier and prove his point that you’re, uh,” Rachel falters again, unsure.

Apollo helpfully provides the wording. “An egotistical megalomaniac with no concept of right and wrong and no concern for the consequences of my actions.”

Rachel swallows. “Right, well. That.”

“So prove him wrong. Stop lashing out, be reasonable instead. Talk to him, make him see your side,” Will says. “You’ll get your powers restored, and Zeus will think he’s made his point.” _And we won’t die._ “Don’t think of it as admitting defeat. Think of it as compromise.”

This is it, their middle ground. It’s up to Apollo to tip the scale from here, to take a step back from his anger and recognize his fault. 

Nico knows their chances are slim still. It has taken Nico years of heartache and regret to recognize his own faults, to finally choose life instead of grief. He knows now that he has to find a balance within himself; Nico will never be able to walk away from his past, not completely, but he doesn’t have to trap himself there either. He can let himself move on, he has to. The alternative is no choice at all, it is death. 

But Nico is a mortal, with a finite existence. Apollo has all of eternity to remain bitter.

Nico thinks of Daedalus again. Daedalus may have been a son of Athena, but he and Apollo had more in common than Nico had first thought. The inventor had carried his bitterness with him through six bodies and thousands of years, and Nico had seen it lingering in the old man’s eyes even as he’d released his soul. Daedalus had warned his son to aim for the middle course, yet Daedalus himself had been led to extremes. 

Apollo is silent for a long time. He looks to each of them in turn. Nico’s not sure what he sees between them; two bleeding and injured half-bloods and a mortal, all three of them dirty and terrified. The god could end their lives without a second thought. They have no power over him, and yet he has let them speak their piece. 

Nico realizes with a start that the only reason he's still standing is because Apollo must be keeping him alive. Nico knows his injuries should have killed him by now, he's lost far too much blood at this point. He wonders if Hades is pissed or grateful for Apollo's intervention. He wonders why Apollo is intervening at all; Nico means nothing to Apollo, and his current state is at the hands of the god. But the answer is obvious.

Nico meant it when he named Will and Rachel earlier; Apollo may be self-absorbed and arrogant, but Nico knows that buried somewhere underneath that, he does care about them. The god’s eyes linger on Rachel and Will’s arms, wrapped tight around Nico like a vise, where they hold him up and he holds them together. 

Apollo must see something there, because, finally, he says, “Compromise.” The word sounds bitter in his mouth.

Will sighs, body relaxing in relief. Apollo rolls his eyes, “Don’t get too excited. You don’t know this will work.” The god turns his face to the heavens and shouts, “ _FATHER!”_

“Shit,” Will says. Rachel, in spite of everything, laughs. Nico sort of feels like dying, but he’s almost positive neither Apollo, nor Zeus, would appreciate that. Well, maybe Zeus would.

But the King of the Gods pays them no mind. Zeus appears before his son wearing a dark suit and a thunderous expression. The gods stand in sharp contrast to one another; Apollo in his golden chiton and Zeus in shades of black, his dark hair another layer of shadow. 

Oddly, the picture makes Nico think of a spoiled college kid who’s rich father has just shown up to scold him for his excessive spending. 

_I’m cutting you off!_

_But how will I afford more solid gold party outfits?!_

Nico scolds himself for being so stupid. He forces himself to focus, but now that Apollo’s attention is elsewhere, Nico can feel himself slipping again.

Zeus is tall and imposing. His voice is hard when he says, “Yes?”

Apollo glares at his father. “I’ve learned my lesson. I want my powers restored.”

Next to him, Rachel quietly slaps herself in the face. Nico sympathizes. They’re doomed.

Zeus’ face darkens even further. “Excuse me?”

Apollo looks ready to bite back, to turn this into a full-scale fight with no resolution, but he pauses. In a fraction of a glace, Apollo looks sideways to where Will, Nico and Rachel stand, still holding onto one another. He faces Zeus again and says, “I was wrong.”

Zeus expression doesn’t change. He stands silent and still. Nico is reminded of Apollo earlier, a mimic of solid stone. There is something unsettling about the small ways the gods reveal their inhumanity.

Apollo sighs, finally elaborating, “I made a mistake blessing that idiot Octavian. I didn’t realize the consequences my actions would have. I’m not sorry—” Zeus crosses his arms in warning, but Apollo keeps going, “Because everything worked out fine in the end.” 

Zeus says, “You cannot be serious!”

Apollo throws up both hands, as if shielding himself from Zeus’ rage. “The kid died before he could do any real damage! And that Valdez boy managed to come back! It’s fine!” 

Nico’s heart trips over itself. Leo’s alive? How could that be possible? Unless—Gods, Hades is going to be so pissed.

“Your blessing spurred an entire civil war that otherwise would not have happened. That is _not ‘_ fine!’”

“Okay!” Apollo yells. “I get it! I’m sorry! It won’t happen again.”

“And why should I believe you?” Zeus asks, the first reasonable thing Nico’s ever heard his uncle say. 

“Because it’s true,” Apollo answers. “I see my mistake now. I thought my action was harmless, but I understand the consequences of it now. I was only thinking of myself again.” Apollo takes a deep breath, then secures their fate on the exhale, “I’ll learn to stop. Not everything’s about me, I have to consider others too.”

Zeus doesn’t speak for so long that Nico’s surprised when he finally does. “Fine.”

“Fine?” Apollo asks, his usual impatience slipping out.

Zeus sighs. “Yes, fine. You’ve learned your lesson. I’m still not happy, but I can’t take another minute of Hera’s complaining, or your sister’s attempts to reason with me.” Zeus holds a hand up and snaps his fingers. Thunder booms overhead. “There. You have your powers back. _All_ of them,” Zeus says, at Apollo’s look. “Try to use them wisely.” And with that, the god is gone.

 

Shadows creep at the edge of Nico’s vision. 

Nico had always thought of death as merciful, but dying is the opposite. It’s needlessly slow. He’d pressed his face back to Will’s shoulder at some point. The fabric of Will’s shredded hoodie is rough against his skin, but Nico doesn’t have the strength to hold his head up anymore. 

“Why did you do that?” Rachel asks. Nico forces bleary eyes open to see who she’s talking to. 

Apollo stands in front of them, restored. His skin, his hair, even his clothes, have returned to their true state. The sight is almost unbearable. Apollo shines, too much to look at and yet demanding to be seen. He traces his hands over himself, skin and fabric and hair, as if making sure his appearance is true. At Rachel’s question, he stops. “Hm?”

“You agreed to compromise. That seemed to border more on defeat.” Nico thinks Rachel is probably pushing their luck, but he doesn’t have the energy to tell her to stop.

Apollo sighs, looking at the three of them. He says, “I got what I wanted. Besides, there are things worth letting go for. You showed me that.” 

“Speaking of which,” Will says. He doesn’t finish the sentence, and Nico misses whatever gesture Will makes, but Apollo gets the hint.

“Right,” Apollo steps forward. He places both hands on Nico’s chest, gentler than Nico had expected the god to be. Nico still doesn’t like the contact, but he can’t move away. Apollo starts singing, clear and beautiful. The music is too loud in the stillness. Nico’s head is pounding.

But it clears. Relief spreads through him. Soft and warm, the healing flows from Apollo’s hands at his chest and disperses through Nico, finding his wounds, stitching them shut. Nico feels the flesh at his shoulder and over his spine knit back together and wants to gag. He holds still until Apollo finishes. The god pulls his hands away, taking his warmth with them.

“There,” Apollo tells him. “You’ll live.”

“Great,” Nico says. Then his exhaustion overtakes him, and his vision goes black.

 

Nico wakes up in the infirmary at camp. Will has pulled a chair next to Nico’s bed and is sound asleep in it, head lolled to the side. Somehow, Nico’s not surprised to find him there.

Nico stretches and immediately regrets it. His entire body aches. He wants to be mad that Apollo did such a half-assed healing job, but honestly he’s just grateful the god kept him alive. His soreness will fade.

Nico doesn’t know what time it is, or even what day. The infirmary is still and dark, and outside the door, the rest of the Big House is in a similar state. Nico lies there until Will wakes up.

Will sits up and rubs his eyes. He brings a hand up to stifle a yawn, then realizes Nico is watching him. “Hey,” Will says, with a small smile. Nico likes him like this, soft and sleepy.

“Hey,” Nico says back. “How long was I out?” His voice is underused, making his words sound scratchy.

Will thinks about it for a second, “Six days.”

Nico grimaces, but says, “New record.”

Will huffs, “Yeah, let’s not try for another.”

“Okay,” Nico agrees. Will gives him another small smile. 

Will bullies Nico into a checkup, and Nico eventually relents. He gives Will his wrist for a pulse, and he sits still while Will checks his heartbeat over the fabric of his t-shirt. Nico draws the line when Will wants to take blood, “Absolutely not. I’m fine.” 

Will huffs again, annoyed, but doesn’t argue. He orders Nico to stay put and leaves to find them breakfast. Nico doesn’t feel up to eating, but he doesn't mention this to Will, he knows he needs to. 

Rachel finds him while Will’s gone. When she sees him awake and sitting up, she grins. “How you feeling?” She’s wearing sharpie-marked denim overalls and a camp t-shirt. Her hair is a bright spot in the otherwise blank room.

Nico gives her a sideways look. Rachel scrunches up her face. The movement makes her freckles smoosh together and disappear under the lines around her nose. “Yeah, stupid question.”

“Will said I’ve been under for six days?” Nico asks, still not quite believing it.

Rachel nods, “Yeah. You blacked out on the mountain. Will and I kind of panicked, but Apollo said it was fine. Just a combination of stress and exhaustion, and Will figured using your powers again drained you even more. Thank you for that, by the way.”

“Yeah. No problem,” Nico says, unaccustomed to this. 

Rachel seems to get it. “Apollo flew us back in his sun chariot, which for some reason was a red Maserati. He even helped us explain everything to Chiron and the rest of the campers, except he sort of changed some of the details to make himself look better.”

Nico gives a little laugh, “Not surprising.”

“No,” Rachel agrees, showing off her teeth. Nico’s not sure what to do with her. He had almost expected her and Will to return to being strangers after the quest was over. Nico hadn’t let himself hope for more, and yet here Rachel was, grinning at him like Nico was something incredible.

She says, “Everything seems back to normal. The mortals have all healed. They're blaming the whole thing on a freak solar storm.”

“And your powers? The Oracle’s still back?” He asks, just for something to say. 

Rachel nods, “I haven’t delivered another prophecy yet, thank god. But I’m still seeing little things, like how I did before. Feels good to have it back, I was starting to feel lost without it.”

“Good,” Nico says. 

Will comes back then, carrying two plates stacked full of food. Rachel bumps her shoulder against Nico’s softly, then stands to let Will take her place on the bed. 

She flashes him another smile, turning to leave, but stops. “Oh, I almost forgot, Hazel Iris-messaged to ask how you were doing. I told her I’d have you call her back when you woke up.” 

Nico frowns, sensing more to this story. “And?” He prompts.

Rachel sighs, scuffing her shoe against the wood floor. “And Reyna was on the call with her. She wants to hear from you, too. But I might have done something totally mortifying before I hung up.”

Nico grins, finally understanding. “What’d you say to her?”

Rachel rolls her eyes at him. “I might have asked her on a date. Except, I’m an idiot, and I didn’t really word it like that, because I’m not really sure how she feels about me. I don’t even know if she likes girls!” Rachel says when Nico rolls his eyes. “But I got two tickets for my cousin’s exy game in November, he plays for PSU, and I invited her to go with me.”

“What’d she say?” Nico asks.

“She said she has no idea what exy is, but she’d be happy to go with me.” Rachel has tucked her hands into the pockets of her shorts, clearly embarrassed. Nico has no idea what exy is, either, but he can imagine Reyna stoically pretending to enjoy the game just to make Rachel smile.

Will says, “That’s great!”

Nico agrees, “It really is.”

Rachel sighs, “But what if she doesn’t think it’s a date, or I do something stupid and mess it up?”

“You won’t,” Nico says. “Trust me, it’ll be fine.” Nico doesn’t reassure Rachel that Reyna likes her back. After all, Reyna had kept his secrets. Besides, Reyna hasn’t explicitly told him how she feels about their Oracle, but Nico has his assumptions. 

Rachel nods, relaxing. “You’re right. I’m being silly. I’ll see you two later,” She says. Nico ignores the knowing look Rachel throws over her shoulder as she leaves.

Will pushes a plate into Nico’s hands and says, “Eat.” So Nico does. His stomach turns over at the sight of the food, but after the first few bites his hunger takes over. They’re quiet as they eat, until Nico has finished his plate and licked his fingers clean as well.

Will eats slower, picking at his food. Finally, he says, “Are we going to talk about it?” He doesn't meet Nico’s eyes.

“What?” Nico asks, even though he knows.

Will sighs, frowning, “Do I have to spell it out?”

Nico says, “I’ve been told I’m dense.” 

Will gives him a hard look. He says, “You kissed me —”

“ _I_ kissed you?” Nico cuts him off. He’s just being difficult, but he’s also nervous. Nico’s not sure where Will is leading this conversation. He’s not sure where he wants it to go.

“Fine,” Will relents, settling on neutral ground, “We kissed. Are we going to talk about it?”

Nico shrugs and stares at the empty plate in his lap. “What’s there to talk about? We were half asleep.”

Will stands up and dumps his plate in the trash. He takes Nico’s plate from him, setting them in the sink against the back wall. When he comes back, he sits in the chair next to the bed instead of beside Nico. Nico tries not to feel disappointed. Will says, “Yeah, I guess. I just wondered what it meant.” 

“Why does it have to mean anything?” Nico asks. He knows he’s evading, but Nico refuses to admit anything first. Will hasn’t revealed anything yet, and Nico might be starting to accept himself, but he still clings to old defenses. 

Will meets his eyes, “It doesn’t.”

Nico frowns. He closes his eyes and dives in. “Do you want it to?”

Will folds his arms across his chest and sits back in his chair. After a moment, he shrugs, “I don’t know. Maybe.” Will looks at Nico for a long moment. “Probably.”

Nico accepts that. They barely know each other beyond their shared past and their spilled secrets. Nico knows himself, and he knows it will take a long time to get to a point where he’s comfortable enough to even consider starting anything real with someone. But Nico thinks maybe, eventually, he and Will could be something. He wants to find out.

But something pulls at him, that little shadow of doubt that always finds its way back. Without thinking, Nico says, “I thought you hated me?”

Will frowns, but he doesn’t look surprised. “I don’t hate you.”

“Sure acted like it,” Nico returns. He feels like he’s pushing his luck, but he’s curious. He wants to know this Will, open behind the walls he’s built around himself. Besides, Will had taken the time to care about Nico, even when Nico had pushed him away. Nico wants to return the favor.

Will leans forward again, resting his folded arms on his knees. He’s quiet for a long time, but Nico doesn’t mind waiting. “I’m not really sure how to describe it. I guess I was jealous of you,” Will finally admits.

Nico’s not sure what to do with that. “Why would you be jealous of me?” 

But the answer isn’t that far out of reach. Nico thinks of their cafe-table conversation in Delphi, where Will had handed Nico his insecurities, and trusted Nico not to weaponize them.

“You’re everything I always wanted to be,” Will says quietly. “You’re really cool, and funny, and powerful. You’re a great fighter. You always know what you're doing—”

“No, I don't.”

Will rolls his eyes, “Well it seems like it. I was always torn between wanting to be your friend and being jealous of you, especially after I saw you fight beside your dad in Manhattan.” 

So Nico had been right, but Will’s answer still surprised him. Somehow, Will kept managing to do that. “So what changed?” Nico asks.

“I realized I liked you,” Will says, honest. “I didn’t know how to act around you after that.”

“You do have terrible manners,” Nico agrees.

Will rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “I’m not jealous anymore. You’re really not that cool,” He says. Nico laughs and Will gives him another soft smile. “And I’m more okay with myself now.”

Nico thinks of sunlight on tiled roofs. Of Will’s scraped knees and Rachel’s hand in his. He says, “Me too.” 

 

Nico’s not surprised to see Percy and Annabeth at dinner, and he's even less surprised when they join him and Jason at the Zeus table after Nico sits down. Then Piper takes a seat next to Jason, and Rachel finds them a few minutes later, squeezing in between Nico and Annabeth. 

Nico finds Will across the pavillion. Will meets his eyes, and Nico waves him over.

When Will sits down on Nico’s other side, Percy demands a complete rundown of their quest, “And don’t skimp on the details!” Jason nods in agreement, though Nico’s sure he and Piper have already heard most of the story. 

Rachel laughs, but complies. She starts the story at the beginning, with her arriving at camp, firing off details in that fast-paced way of hers. Nico and Will cut in after a bit to slow her down, trading off on telling and countering each other’s takes on things. Rachel pulls them back in when they stray too far in their teasing, the way she’d rallied their focus again and again in Delphi. Their assembled audience listens, the girls butting in occasionally to provide commentary, while Percy and Jason offer unhelpful suggestions.

When Nico describes Rachel’s incredible stunt at the Castalian Spring, Annabeth says, “Impressive. I’m not sure I would’ve thought of that.” 

Rachel blushes, but says, “You’d have thought of something better.”

Annabeth smiles, her gray eyes shining like the Phaedriades.

Percy says, “I would’ve just drowned it.”

“We can’t all control water, Percy,” Nico rolls his eyes, but Percy just grins across the table at him. Looking at him now, Nico wishes he could have known he’d have this; he’d spent so long grasping for something out of reach, and terrified of losing this stupid boy, Nico hadn’t even considered that there was an alternative. 

Rachel finds their place in the story again. Nico notices the way she skirts around the softer details: their shared fear and uncertainty, the open admissions each of them made. He’s grateful she holds them back, not because he doesn’t want the rest of them to know, but because for right now, it feels like something private the three of them can have. 

They finish the story and most of their food. Nico’s appetite has returned in full, and he’s starting to feel better since showering and returning Hazel’s call earlier. More solid and steady.

Nico sits and listens as new conversations pick up between them. Annabeth tells Piper about school, while Percy and Jason rope Will into discussing the logistics of how Apollo controls the sun—“He can’t literally drive the sun across the sky,” Jason argues, “That makes no sense, there’s like, scientific evidence to prove that’s not how it works.” Percy counters by bringing up his and Nico’s ride in the sun bus. He uses his hands to mimic the bus diving towards the table, which Nico assumes is meant to be New England. Will argues both sides, clearly having already considered it and frustrated with having no real answer.

Rachel nudges Nico, and Nico turns to look at her. She tilts her head, just enough, and Nico realizes they’d forgotten something. Or Rachel and Will had agreed that he should be the one to tell the others.

Nico raps his knuckles on the table, pulling Annabeth and Piper’s attention from their conversation. Annabeth gets the hint. She elbows Percy, soft at first, then harder, until he stops arguing with Will to look at her. That gets Jason and Will’s attention too. Annabeth looks back to Nico, so Nico says, “Leo’s alive.”

Jason looks the most shocked, but it’s Piper who says, “What?”

“Leo’s alive,” Nico says, again. “Apollo said so in Delphi.” 

“How is that possible?” Jason asks.

Annabeth sees the answer, “The Physician’s Cure.” 

Piper says, “I had it with me.” Nico hears the guilt in her voice, but he can see on her face that she wants to believe him, even if just out of the hope she’s clung to.

“Leo must have taken it somehow,” Nico says.

“But how did he get it? He gave it to me, I was supposed to carry it,” Piper presses.

But Nico realizes, “The mist. Hazel must have manipulated it.”

“It makes sense,” Annabeth agrees, “Leo had the real cure. Knowing him, he probably built something to administer it after he—” She doesn’t finish the sentence, but she doesn’t need to. Leo’s death has been a weight they’ve carried between them for weeks. Nico had felt especially guilty, he’d let Octavian fire, knowing it would hit Leo. Now Nico feels that weight lift. He can relax, let go.

Jason says, “When I find him, he’s going to wish he were still dead.” 

Beside Nico, Will chokes on his drink. Piper slaps Jason’s arm, and Rachel laughs. 

They launch into a debate about how to find Leo, throwing out possible places he could be, until they narrow it down to one: Ogygia. Then the conversation turns to how they could manage to get there, with Piper making the counter point that, if that’s where he is, Leo might want to be left alone.

Percy says, “Fuck that, we’re getting him back. Calypso can come, too.” 

That pulls a startled laugh from everyone, and the mood of the table shifts. It’s happy, hopeful. Annabeth glares at her boyfriend, but it’s ruined when her lips curl into a smile. Nico smiles, too. The future is there, unguarded and open for them to take. 

Nico knows he has a lot to learn still, about himself, about living without the weight and the guilt and the shame of everything. But sitting here, surrounded by his friends in a world that’s not currently ending, Nico realizes he’s happy. He’s home. And that’s enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I changed Nico's age in The Titan's Curse to try and rectify his age at the end of HoO.  
> 2\. The line where Nico considers how Apollo built his temple over Python's grave is stolen from this quote by Erwin Rohde, "It is a case of one god setting up his temple on the grave of another."  
> 3\. "Ever since that fault I could persuade no one of anything." This line of Cassandra's and her referring to Apollo as Loxias was taken from the play Agamemnon.  
> 4\. Don't ask me why Nico knows what a Molotov cocktail is, but not what therapy is. I don't know either.  
> 5\. Rachel's cousin is a character from my favorite series All For The Game by Nora Sakavic, because they're both red-heads and I take jokes too seriously. But I highly recommend the series!
> 
>  
> 
> I have a little tiny follow up sequel to this half planned and half written, so look for that eventually. & Thanks again for reading!


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